Conquests of Vlid

The Conquests of Vlid were a series of invasions and raids conducted by the nation of Vlid between the years 1255 and 1340.

At its height, their empire covered over half of inhabited land in Stevenis, and threatened the whole planet.

The conquests ended in 1340, when the Vlidian Empire declared they would establish a 'Pax Vlidica', but peace did not last, and the empire fell in 1369.

As well as causing widespread deaths at the time, the conquests are also attributed to laying the foundations of modern Stevenis politics. For the first time, nations and peoples were trading, making alliances, and ordering large-scale military operations. Additionally, the conquests resulted in large migrations, most notably to the island that is today Wordsmith.

## Pre-nationhood

The Vlid tribe had inhabited the area that is modern day Armapol since at least 400. They were descended from the Somes who fled during the First Frozen Era 100-200. They spoke Old Argon.

## Early conquests 1255-1293

In 1255, Bratomil Bandor attacked the Lisa tribe, which was to the North of Vlid.

In 1271, Vlid launched another invasion, this time on the Rebnam people, to the North-east.

4 surrounding groups: the Kuzes, Palmini People, Szeina Tribe, and Char People all created the Biyuk Alliance, with the purpose of stopping Vlid's expansion. If one member was attacked, all the others would retaliate. The Kuzes, Palmini People and Char People all had no formal army, so they all set about creating one.

For the first time, intense international trade occurred between the members of the Biyuk Alliance. Previously the only nation that exported a large amount of products was Szeina. The members shared weapons, technology, and tactics.

## Late conquests 1294-1323

In 1294, a Vlidian fleet set sail from modern day Reberkan. After three months of travel, they arrived on the Marken shores. The Marken tribe had not been part of the Biyuk Alliance, as they were were very far from Vlid. The Vlidian army raided the tribe continuously that year, before fully invading in 1295. Many of the Marken people fled to sea. The currents led most to the uninhabited island that is today Wordsmith. These people soon formed the nation of Restmain. Some drifted to the other uninhabited island of Leojenta, however they did not survive for more than ten years (see Curse of Leojenta).

This invasion shocked the Biyuk Alliance. They decided to continue building up their armies, so they could defeat Vlid all together.

In 1303, there was a miscommunication in which the Kuzes believed that the attack on Vlid was imminent. They attempted an invasion on their border with Vlid. The Vlidian cavalry crushed the Kuze armies, however they could not advance past a large mountain range, and so the invasion ended in 1306.

Now with a direct route to the Palmini people, Vlid invaded in 1312. This cut off communication and supply lines among the Biyuk Alliance. Many Palmini People fled north, to modern day Ishub. They would go on to form their own nation, Holbi, after the fall of Vlid.

Seeing the increasing threat, the Tongyun-speaking Weiszen tribe also joined the Biyuk Alliance in 1315. According to the agreement, all the members should already be at war with Vlid, however they believed that they would have a better chance of victory if they had strong formal armies. It had now been 98 years since the founding of the Alliance, and 2 of the 4 original members had already been invaded.

## War with the Biyuk Alliance 1324-1339

In 1324, the Alliance finally launched their attack on Vlid. The combined Char, Szeina, and Weiszen armies were larger in number than the Vlidian. Each side had a roughly equal win rate in battle. However, the Vlidian tactic of scorched earth caused an extreme refugee crisis, especially in Szeina. People flooded to the inner cities. This caused difficulties for the militaries of the Biyuk Alliance.

Slowly, over the next 16 years, they were pushed back. People fled the Conquests right down to the coastline. This was called the Retreat from Vlid. People from Weiszen had little space to retreat into, so they entered Shiver-Pillian territory. The Shiver-Pillias allowed them to stay, but their presence later caused the \_\_\_ War (1378-80).

It was believed at the time that Vlid would conquer the entire world.

## 'Pax Vlidica'

The Vlidian elite had been becoming increasingly fascinated with Szeina philosophy, especially the teachings of Macheinu. She taught the importance of having enemies, as they exist to make you question yourself and improve. In 1340, the elite made the decision to end their conquests, so they could keep enemies. The remaining nations were: Kuzes (kept their autonomy behind the mountains), Chartlands (formally Char people), Szeina, Weiszen, Shiver-Pillia, and Restmain (although no other nations knew of their existence). They called this arrangement 'Pax Vlidica' meaning 'Vlidian peace'.

The remaining nations are believed to have been relieved that they would not have to fight any longer. They asserted themselves as nation states, setting up a central government (except Weiszen).

## Fall of the Empire

In 1367, the Rebnam people within Vlid revolted. Much like the Kuzes, they hid within the mountains. They wanted to form their own independent nation called Rebnabad. The deteriorating Vlid elite had severe difficulty in crushing the rebellion, and in 1368, they declared that they would allow Rebnabad to secede, as they were a good new enemy.

In 1368, another revolt occured. The Palmini people formed their own nation, Palmini, but this time the Vlidian government did not accept the movement. They sent roughly 40% of their troops to Palmini in order to end resistance. Chartlands, Szeina, Weiszen, and Shiver-Pillia then unanimously launched an invasion into Vlid. This was such a shock to the Vlidian leader that he died of a suspected stroke upon hearing the news. This caused a power vacuum in Vlid, as the best generals who would usually take power were all needed on the battlefield.

The Char and Szeina forces met in late 1368, to a joyous meeting.

In 1369, the Vlidian homeland was sacked by combined Char and Szeina forces. The next decade was spent in a furious scramble for former Vlidian territory.

Many parts of the former empire established their independence in 1370:

* **Listnik** formed by the Lisa people
* **Marken** formed by the Marken people
* **Holbi** formed by the Palmini people who had fled north during the Vlidian conquest of their land
* **Malkhoy** formed by some Char people who moved north due to a drought in Chartlands the same year
* **Lihani** formed by some (outer) Szeina people who did not want to be part of the larger Szeina nation
* **Eramore** created on original Vlidian land and intended to be governed by Chartlands and Szeina equally

## Impact

The period signified a change in the history of Stevenis, as it forced governments to become more centralised, and for formal armies to be created. From this time onwards, all nations established clear borders

It caused the migration of many people, including to areas previously uninhabited, such as Wordsmith.

The scramble for land that occurred after the fall of Vlid shaped nation politics for centuries afterwards. For example, Szeina was infuriated with other nations (especially Chartlands) for claiming their historic territory. This led to a long rivalry between the two nations, eventually leading to disagreements over Eramore, kickstarting Eramore's conquests.

Eramore (later The Insomnia Empire) believed themselves to be the successors of Vlid. They opted to speak Argonian over their native Arma, as they believed Argonian was the most similar to Old Argon.