Death war

A **death war** is a colloquial term describing a conventional conflict that is fought with the intention of one or more parties completely destroying the other. This is typically done with the justification that future wars cannot break out if the opposing combatant is entirely annihilated.

A death war has many similarities to real-life strategies and forms of conflict such as total war, in the fact that any and all resources and infrastructure are considered legitimate military targets, and the the majority of the population of both parties is often mobilized alongside all of the resources of a society to fight the war, and gives priority to warfare over basic needs.

Unlike other forms of warfare, a death war is often far more cost-inefficient and damaging to both parties than regular warfare, as once a death war is engaged, it often does not cease until one has conquered every single settlement controlled by the other.

## Characteristics

A most common characteristics of a death war are:

* The functional or planned complete occupation and/or pacification of the opposing combatant's territory. This is the most important factor in determining the presence or status of a death war. It is estimated that many death wars are not successful as this is an incredibly difficult feat; for example the Northport War is often considered to be a death war as one or more parties intended for the complete dissolution of the enemy combattant, despite no major territorial changes or occupations happening in its aftermath as the war was found to end in stalemate.
* The extensive or complete destruction of civilian infrastructure in major cities (such as in Manzig or Vallava) regardless of their strategic importance, typically to prevent functional city operations or inhabitation.
* Massive military spending often takes place, the costs of war being artificially inflated from mass expenditures on mercenaries and/or gear. Due to the high stakes of death wars - this military spending often becomes necessary to prevent the opposing combatant from achieving victory; it is common for over $10,000,000 to be spent by each side in death wars.
* Large scale ethnic cleansing or outright genocide often occurs during or in the immediate aftermath of death wars. This is often justified as an attempt to prevent sympathizers from existing or future incarnations of the opposing state from being reborn in the immediate aftermath of the war. This was perhaps most famously seen in the immediate aftermath of the Morladron-Sylvanian War, Kunir War, and Coalition-Ellysian Wars.
* Death wars generally last over two real world months (15~ years TE) as many occupations and/or battles are often needed to encourage the 'folding' of the opposing combatant or their unconditional surrender as per the standards set by Stoneworks rules.
* The committing of various war crimes, often by both parties. This can be seen in conflicts such as the Clone War where factions like the Hands risked getting permanently banned from Stoneworks in order to fight on the side of the AWE; eventually culminating in multiple permanent bannings. Other bannings for use of banned relics in wars also took place. Sometimes the war crimes in question are simply socially or legally agreed upon by nations, such as the killing of citizens and prisoners of war, looting, etc.
* Vast economic reparations are often demanded. These are typically more severe than simply the territorial losses, with the intent of covering the excessive expenses of the winning party.

Other less common characteristics or side effects of death wars are:

* Economic espionage or boycotting of international markets.
* The construction of trenches completely surrounding cities of significant importance.
* The destruction of civilian infrastructure by defending parties to set up defenses.
* Bombing of roads and supply hubs outside of the territory of the warring parties.
* Guerrilla warfare or armed insurgency following the capitulation of a warring party.
* Increased number of squatter settlements in occupied territory during & after the war.
* Scorched-earth policies by retreating parties against their own or occupied cities.
* The rapid advancement of technological discoveries in an effort to gain the upper hand against the opposing party.

## History

### 2020-21 (0 TE - 114 TE)

Historians debate over the origins of the death war, with some arguing that the earliest instance of a death war was the First Viper War in October/November 2020, where the Sewer Mafia was nearly destroyed & completely pacified by Ardat Mosul in what has been described as 'one of the most toxic wars in early Rathnir'.

The pacification of Sewer Mafia would later be coined the 'Rape of Sewer Mafia' to indicate its clearly destructive nature. The first major war to display the majority of a death war's characteristics, however, would be the War of the Black Flag in August 2021, where a significant portion of Barbossa's infrastructure was entirely destroyed, especially in the capital of Kraken's Cove.

Other wars from around this time, such as the First West March War & the Coalition-Ellysian Wars, would also meet some of the criteria of a death war. The Coalition-Ellysian Wars in particular saw the complete dissolution of the Ellysian Empire to this day. Wars that took place across 2021 such as the Uldarashi Civil War would also have aspects of a death war, especially during the Eldham Entente intervention and the Battle of Fornost, as the tactics associated with a death war became increasingly more common.

### 2022 (115 TE - 206 TE)

The term 'death war' first began to be used to describe the Veldski Civil War in March 2022, despite it not meeting the modern criteria of a death war, as it was a relatively minor conflict with no immediate significant effect on any lands outside of Chumon Ito. The term would rise in prominence over the following months, however it would not be until June 2022 and the Northport War that the first death war by modern interpretations would come into fruition, with millions of dollars being spent by both sides on the war culminating in extensive damage to the city of Northport over the course of multiple months of on-and-off fighting.

The first official usage of the term 'death war' to describe a conflict came during the Morladron-Sylvania War in August 2022, with over $20 million being spent on the war, involving 60% of Eldham's landmass. The Battle of Vallava would be one of the single most destructive events ever to occur during a conflict at the time, though it was quickly outdone by the Battle of Manzig during the Furry War and then finally by the Second West March War, the latter being the longest war in Stoneworks history, taking place between August 2022 & January 2023, with the Siege of New Dorasterrock being one of the if not the most expensive battles in history, costing over $22 million for the Sixth Empire of Bardonia to defend the city during the 990 ACA Counteroffensive.

The Siege of Manzig between July & September 2022 remains the single most expensive military effort in Stoneworks history, costing roughly $60 million. It is considered an example of a prime example of an Eldhamite death war as the complete dissolution of Manzland was planned, and was eventually successful, although Manzland would later reform. The city of Manzig to this day remains completely unlivable, and despite attempts to reinhabit the area, it is largely unsuccessful. All attempts or calls to rebuild the city of Manzig have been completely cancelled as the city remains one of the most 'griefed' or 'war-damaged' cities in all of Stoneworks history.

The many battles that took place in Manzig during the Furry War eventually was a factor that resulted in the banning of '*ganks*' from Stoneworks warfare, or deep pits used for strategic purposes in battle. The entire city remains, to this day, surrounded in ganks that go down to bedrock and the landscape is considered so mauled by the wars that permanent settlement is impossible based on the labor and costs needed to resuscitate it alone.

### 2023 (207 TE - 298 TE)

Death wars would become increasingly more common following the end of the Second West March War in January 2023, with the rise of mercenaries resulting in further increases to military spending by all nations engaging in warfare.

The AWE-Atlechia War, taking place between May & August 2023, would see the modern interpretation of the concept of a death war come into fruition, with tens of millions of dollars being spent by the A.W.E. over 16 battles to take conquer every last settlement in Atlechia.

Shortly after the fall of Atlechia, however, Eldham would dissolve into yet another death war, with the outbreak of the Clone War following the departure of Ashai from C.A.T.O and vast uprisings in the east of the A.W.E.'s newly-acquired territories. Some have estimated that the Clone War will quickly surpass the Furry War as the most expensive & deadly war in Stoneworks history - but the conflict's total monetary cost remains unclear.