Sea of Temples crisis

The **Sea of Temples crisis** is an ongoing political crisis in Thornia-Aphthonis sparked by the revelation that North Aphthonis and South Aphthonis are separate, distinct geographical regions rather than a contiguous desert and savannah plain.

## Background

The historical, long-running rationale for Aphthonis' massive territorial claims encompassing the entire region north of the International Jungle Territory was that it would make an invasion of the country more difficult due to the potentially vast frontlines. Military planners throughout the history of the Thornian-Umic colonial empire (between 2016 to 2022) in Aphthonis have long integrated this doctorine into defence plans.

No patrols of the region ever actually crossed the border between North and South Aphthonis. Thornian Army forces had always crossed from the South Aphthonic village of Dobrado into the International Jungle Territory, and intersecting with the historic Huang dynasty trail that led to Smarna (formerly Shantouxian).

## Discovery of the Sea of Temples

It wasn't until 16 April 2022 that the Volovna Brigade was tasked with surveying much of the interior of Aphthonis that the Sea of Temples existed. The sea gained its name from the numerous desert temples that dotted its coast. In these survey missions, the brigade also noted how there were unusually steep mountain ranges stretching across the interior of the country, as well as there being previously unknown jungles.

## Aftermath

The return of the survey team to Petrodis set off a chain of events that saw the Aphthonic government face what could be considered a near-collapse. It has been the policy of the ruling Reformist Party to seek ways to let go of underpopulated territories or territories that have had minimal Thornian/Umic presence. Although this discovery was theoretically extremely beneficial to the party policy, it was a major bombshell for the Armed Forces of Thornia-Aphthonis as the northern frontier of South Aphthonis was now considerably much more vulnerable. This is on top of defending North Aphthonis being considerably more difficult since crossing through the International Jungle Territory is still considered extremely trecherous.

The Aphthonic central government announced that it would cease patrol orders to the Volovna Brigade in the Smarna and North Aphthonis region, in other words effectively abandoning the territories. The central government also began the process of integrating with the South Aphthonis government, unofficially signalling that it knew that Aphthonis would be unlikely to reclaim those territories. The former Aphthonic state was considered defunct by 7:00pm and replaced by the South Aphthonic region's administration (which renamed itself to the Republic of Aphthonis). The Volovna Brigade were present in the capital city, Petrodis, on high alert.

## Future

During the colonisation of Aphthonis, the Umic elites originating from Ume City and Cataracta argued that Thornian colonisation in southern Aphthonis was wreckless. It was feared that a massive land border with potential future states north of what is now South Aphthonis would be too difficult to defend. As a result, Thornia pushed its colonisation and occupation efforts further north and west, which also resulted in Aphthonis' eventual ceasing of Shantouxian from Xandu.

The discovery of the Sea of Temples meant that South Aphthonis now had a natural defence barrier to its north. This has led to speculation that the Province of Ume would be willing to accept South Aphthonis into Great Thornia. However, between the time of their initial dismissal and the discovery of the sea, Aphthonic nationalism has grown significantly. The economic boom in the weeks leading up to the discovery has also made the re-unification of these lands even less likely.

The current Thornia-Aphthonis union was also formed on the understanding that Aphthonis' large, barren landscape would make it unideal to invade from the north. Although the sea provided defence, the fact that North Aphthonis was abandoned meant that another state or group could legally move into the territory, thus threatening the north. The Reformist Party has proposed to both the governments of South Aphthonis and the Province of Elysia to form the 'United Districts' to unify both territories and to significantly increase the funding of the Volovna Brigade to help fortify the Temple Coast (northern coast of South Aphthonis).