Resource Wars

The Resource Wars also known as "The Great Tribulation Era" was a large period of human history which lasted from -390 FOF to -1 FOF according to the Foundation of Federation Calendar. The Resource War era was dominated by hundreds of large conflicts on Earth over the dwindling natural resources on the planet. This period was noted as having a sharp decrease in use of enhanced technology and modern weaponry which did slowly improve over the centuries but not by a sizeable margin. The start date of the Resource War era is unknown, but many have placed the start date at -390 FOF as that is when the first recorded major war happened over dwindling resources. Many large empires and petty kingdoms fought for survival during the Resource Wars as brother turned against brother in order to control the remaining few natural resource deposits. A major decline in technology and culture occurred in this period and the causalities from this era range from 800 million to 6 billion. The era is considered by most Federation scholars to be one of the worst periods in human history.

**BEGINNINGS**

The beginning of The Resource Wars is generally acknowledged as starting in the year -390 FOF by Federation historians. The period before The Great Tribulation Era was relatively peaceful and prosperous, however sometime during the -400's FOF Earth's natural resources began to dwindle which led to increased animosity between nations. The first conflict recorded in -390 FOF was the result of dwindling fresh water and oil deposits, nations from the European and Asian continents were the first to war with each other during this time. During the initial period of strife some areas of the Earth would be annihilated by nuclear weapons which left the land barren and irradiated. Pockets of land across Asia, North America, and Europe would become large, irradiated wastelands. The few remaining pieces of information left detail the massive destruction of cities, towns, and farmland. From -375 FOF onward records become more sporadic and sparser on the details of the time, it is known that millions would die in the first 15 years of The Great Tribulation Era. Throughout the next 3 centuries various kingdoms, empires, and rulers would be mentioned in various records which gave Federation historians insight on the trialing times. Technological and cultural development would devolve heavily within just a few years after the start of the Resource Wars and would not pick back up for centuries after.

Cities and towns would become warzones for the first few years of the Resource Wars, once the cities and towns had either been annihilated or conquered by roaming bandit's the rural lands of Earth would be swept with raiding armies and criminals all looking for easy access to food and the few remaining deposits of fresh water. No area would be safe from war or bandit raids and only the most fortified and armed towns could survive the onslaught. Daily life for the average person during this time would be a constant fight for survival especially for those unlucky enough to be born outside of the few remaining protected and fortified towns.

**RISE OF WILLIAM OSIRIS**

While the Earth was being ravaged by war and disease one man would soon become one of the few to dominate the hellscape of Earth during this time, in -223 FOF a retired sailor by the name of William Osiris would settle along the coast of Europe and found a small nation, this city state would bear the name Osiris and would quickly rise in population and power. William Osiris expanded his small nation along the coastline of Western Europe and eventually grew tired of the decayed state which humanity had fallen into. The man dreamed of a united humanity which could finally begin to prosper once more. By -216 FOF William Osiris would use his now massive wealth to hire mercenary armies which he could use at his disposal, he was determined to bring humanity back together one way or another.

In -215 FOF William Osiris would begin his European campaign, within a few weeks the Kingdom of Osiris had quadrupled in size and had seized large portions of land and resources. William Osiris used these increased resources to further expand technological research and development which hadn't improved in centuries. Quickly new weapons, medicines, and machines were being recreated and which improved the lives of the citizens greatly under the rule of Osiris. Further conquest of European territories would become easier and easier as the technology of the Osiris nation improved. By the end of -213 FOF the "Empire of Osiris" had been declared and the entirety of Europe was under its control.

***"I am determined to bring humanity back from the depths of despair, I lived decades watching man kill man for nothing, this cannot continue."* -William Osiris**

William Osiris would begin his planned invasion of Asia in -211 FOF which would once again be a resounding success, like dominoes one by one the Resource Warlords of Earth were falling. William Osiris would all but conquer the farthest edges of the Asian continent. During a siege on the city of Rashapur, William Osiris would come close to death when he was hit by shrapnel from a nearby explosion which injured him severely, forcing him to end his Asian campaign early. The armies of Osiris would march again once more in -207 FOF when Africa would be invaded, William Osiris would first invade Northern Africa and then work his way down to the Southern tip of the continent. The invasion would be particularly violent and bloody as various tribes and nations fiercely resisted the Osiris Empire. The conquest of Africa would take 8 long years and would use up many of the empire's resources and manpower. The campaign had taken its toll on William Osiris and his old age was beginning to get to him, in -198 FOF he would suffer from long periods of sickness which would leave him bedridden for weeks, this however would not stop William Osiris from planning his invasions of North and South America. During this time of peace William Osiris would dedicate much of his time to help the people within his empire and quickly became a champion of the people in the eyes of many citizens. Once the invasion plans had been completed, the invasion of the Americas was to begin in -194 FOF. Shortly before the scheduled invasion was supposed to begin, the 81-year-old William Osiris would fall ill in early -194 FOF in which he would never recover, he would die just a few weeks before his final plan to unite humanity was supposed to begin. The Osiris Empire would not last long after William Osiris' death, without a clear heir to the throne or clear leader the empire quickly disintegrated and collapsed into dozens of warring states. The Empire of Osiris is one of the very few times in the Resource War period where humanity prospered.