Chaotic Wars

Rebels of the Outer Territories (R.O.T.)

* Assoon Insurgency
* Blue Belt Ragash Nations
* Dregmur Nation
* Federation of Skarsus
* Free Kenkion States
* Free Peoples of Farsai (F.P.F.)
* Gasgis Nations
* Herran Territories
* Independent States of the Brooglords
* Kenkion Territories of the Blue Belt
* Kingdom of Chawod
* Kingdom of Wintoc
* Kingdom of Yutoc
* Peoples of Pranukra
* Ragash of the Red Flux
* Tem-Tum Autonomy

The **Chaotic Wars** were a series of galactic conflicts that took place during the second half of the Old Era, sharing their name with the era’s final epoch, the Choatic Epoch. The Wars are remembered as the largest-scale conflict in the history of the galaxy, with such a dramatic loss of life it is considered the second largest mass extinction event to have ever occurred, second only to the galactic cataclysm of the Great Silence at the end of the Middle Era.

## **Prelude**

It is still disputed when the Chaotic Wars officially started, as no formal declaration of war was ever issued, although it is generally assumed to have begun at the signing of the Broogpact – a treaty of allegiance between the Broogish nations and the Ragash of the Outer Territories.

Tensions between the Gimoan Alliance and the nations of the Outer Territories were already high by the mid-Emergent Epoch, however, many years before the Broogpact was ever proposed. During this time, the Gimoan Alliance was at its height, dominating much of the central galaxy. While the core tenets of the Alliance emphasised equality among all peoples, it failed to extend this altruism to the Outer Territories, either as a result of limited astro-navigational technology or corruption on the fringes of the Alliance, or both. This inadvertent exclusion of the Outer Territories caused the people there to become politically and culturally disconnected from the rest of the galaxy, resulting in a major loss of trade. Many of these nations resorted to illegal trade with the Alliance, since Gimoan law enforcement was severely lacking in the Outer Territories compared to the more central regions.

Nations on the fringes of the Alliance began to fragment, effectively splitting formerly unified people into two halves: those who received trade from the Alliance and those who did not. Those who remained connected to the Alliance withheld its prosperity from those outside of its range, resulting in conflict. Initially, these conflicts amounted to little more than small-scale skirmishes on the Alliance frontier, but rapidly anti-Alliance attitudes began to spread throughout the Outer Territories and talk of revolution became increasingly commonplace.

By the 4th Age of the Emergent Epoch, hostilities between the Alliance and the Outer Territories had grown more frequent, and a definitive border had been drawn between the two. This resulted in the Alliance ceasing all efforts to extend itself beyond its borders, and instead focused its attentions on fortifying the perimeter. The ostracised nations of the Outer Territories now sought to rebel, continuing their assault on the Alliance frontier in random, disorderly attacks. In 262, 4th Age of the Emergent Epoch, the independent nations of the Outer Territories congregated on the planet Farsai, each one summoned there by the now notoriously effective rabble-rouser, Shamfast the Bandit-King, then known as Shamfast the Rebel. There he held the historically significant Rally of Farsai, or 262 Rally, which inspired the nations of the Outer Territories to unify in their efforts to combat the reinforcement of the Gimoan Alliance frontier, and ultimately to overthrow the Alliance altogether. Shamfast knew, however, that his Rebellion required the financial, political and military aid of the notorious Brooglords, and in 1, 1st Age of the Chaotic Epoch, after many negotiations, Shamfast finally met with the 22 Brooglords at the Broogish homeworld of Naheemi. Shamfast promised that the Broogs would receive a large percentage of the planetary property acquired during the war with the Alliance, along with a substantial sum of the monetary winnings. Impressed with this agreement, the Brooglords signed the Broogpact, an official declaration of allegiance to the Rebellion against the Gimoan Alliance, forming the combined Rebels of the Outer Territories (R.O.T.).

## **Shamfast’s Rebellion**

### First Conflicts

Within a matter of days, the first official conflict of the rebellion – newly dubbed Shamfast’s Rebellion – occurred at the Battle of Floating Rock on the Worrellian planet Hirava, with an invading force of Herran Territory Gaskins claiming an easy victory over the overwhelmed Worrels. The battle, though it was small and swiftly won without many casualties, was what many historians consider to be the first conflict of the Chaotic Wars. Many small-scale battles soon followed, with the first major conflict taking place on the Tinggi-occupied military outpost Waywane. The Battle of Waywane saw the first defeat of the Tinggi mercenaries sent to reinforce the Alliance frontier, sending shockwaves throughout the Alliance as the threat of an organised rebellion became a tangible one.

Shortly after the Rebel victory at Waywane, on 14, 1st Age of the Chaotic Epoch, Shamfast the Bandit-King, instigator of the Rebellion, died. Before his death, Shamfast had devised a detailed list of all the suitable potential successors to oversee the continuation of his Rebellion. At the top of Shamfast’s list was a member of his inner circle, his most trusted advisor and long-time friend, Drasham the Pious. Drasham inherited leadership of the Rebellion on the condition that he appoint his two young sons, in whom Shamfast saw great potential, upon his own death.

In 98, 1st Age, the Rebellion saw another major victory at the Allempi homeworld of Lapau, bringing an end to the lengthy Allempi Civil War. The victorious Assoon Insurgency, who had sought to gain control of Lapau since the Emergent Epoch, claimed the Rebels’ first victory of an entire territory in the Alliance, boosting the morale and military and economic power of the Rebellion. Swathes of Worrellian systems quickly fell into the dominion of the Rebels following the shift of power at Lapau, including the planet Hirava, the site of the first official conflict and home to Worrellian High Councillor, B.T. Borty. The Tinggi-held frontier became ever more frayed, and with growing concern for the stability of the Alliance, the Central Galactic Gimoan government decided to deploy its as-yet secret Kenajor Armies to the outer fringes of the Alliance. This halted the rapid spread of Rebel territories around the Alliance perimeters, but the Worrel-governed territory continued to diminish. This was a result of the leadership of the Razzel Mata, the Worrellian High Council, whose long-held belief in pacifism prevented the Worrels from effectively defending their own territories and deploying their severely neglected army, the Clockwork Army. The Kenajors posted there, meanwhile, bore the brunt of the Worrellian invasions, safeguarding the cloistered Razzel Mata and their people as they debated lengthily behind their fortified walls. In 86, 2nd Age of the Chaotic Epoch, a young, new initiate of the Razzel Mata successfully convinced the other 44 members of the High Council to deploy the Clockwork Army, support the Tinggi and Kenajor armies fighting to defend their territories, and actively engage the Rebels in combat. At last, the Clockwork Army was officially deployed, effectuating the Worrels’ involvement in the Wars, and the 45 members of the Razzel Mata themselves actively took part in the fighting. But by 87, 2nd Age, the invasion of the Worrellian Territories reached its capital, the Worrels’ homeworld of Owarotora, and the majority of the Worrellian forces and their allies had been overcome, resulting in the famous last stand of the final four High Council members at the Battle of Owarotora.

### The War Intensifies

With the defeat of the Worrels at Owarotora, the Rebellion against the Gimoan Alliance picked up momentum, with numerous conflicts sparking up around the rapidly shrinking Alliance frontier. A pivotal battle of this time was the Battle of Tullis, in which an invasive Rebel force sought to occupy the Tinggi homeworld. This was a crucial military stronghold for the Alliance, predominantly due to its enormity, span of influence and the multiplicity of its militant Tinggi populace. For this reason, the Battle of Tullis was a long, bloody battle, with large numbers of casualties on both sides. The extent of the battle lasted from 84, 2nd Age, Chaotic Epoch until 125 of the same Age, culminating in the Rebels seizing control of Tullis and its surrounding systems. This was a decisive blow for the Alliance, whose military strength was severely weakened as a result, and whose influence over the galaxy was significantly impacted.

### Downfall of the Alliance

This catastrophic defeat for the Alliance came at a costly time. In 122 of the 2nd Age, a series of 42 massive volcanic eruptions occurred on the Gimoan capital and homeworld, Old Astur, spewing vast amounts of ash into the sky, causing violent tsunamis, and sending devastating pyroclastic flows around the planet a total of fifteen times. The 42 eruptions came from nine distinct volcanoes dotted around the planet, and their combined destruction forced the local Gimoan government to evacuate the capital. Evacuation became impossible, however, for the ash-laden skies and violently erratic winds grounded the space shuttles. The majority of the Gimoan Alliance’s governing figures died in the devastation, including the Felosheek king, Shal Miril Eed XXI, who was visiting Old Astur for a disastrously-timed conference with the Gimoan High Council.

Upon hearing the news of the death of his father, Prince Miril Eed XXII, heir to the Shalian throne, travelled to Old Astur to lend aid along with a number of other Ally nations. During his journey from Shalia to Old Astur, however, his fleet was intercepted by a band of Rebels who hijacked his ship and killed him and his crew. In 123, 2nd Age, the late prince’s younger brother, Soril Eed I, was declared Shal of the Felosheek, though his coronation was to be postponed due to a Rebel invasion of Shalia, the Felosheek homeworld. Having successfully taken a large portion of the multistellar Felosheek Kingdom, the Rebel Army chose the timing of their Shalian Invasion carefully, and with a new, yet-to-be-crowned, immature and inexperienced young king, the timing proved to sway the odds in the Rebels’ favour. The young king, Soril Eed I, was killed in the conflict, and by 131, 2nd Age, the Felosheek Kingdom fell into the hands of the Rebels.

By the time of the Shalian Invasion, the Rebellion’s finances had drastically dwindled, having spent more than two centuries pumping money into the war. This dogged determination to see the war through had a detrimental effect on the Rebels’ home-region of the Outer Territories, causing increased poverty and widespread rioting. The local population began to feel disenfranchised with Shamfast’s Rebellion, and with all the fighting occurring so far away in the galaxy, many groups started to question whether the war was justified given that it had lasted so long and very little positive change had been felt. In addition to this, the Outer Territories became increasingly vulnerable, as more and more of the home guard were being sent to the conflict zones as a result of the Rebellion’s deteriorating military resources. This enticed new local political leaders to rise up and claim power in militant coups, and lured hostile nations of the Outer Territories to invade the substantially weakened Rebel territories, such as the Pachi Bonehunters, who on numerous occasions harassed the people of the Rebel capital, Farsai. But despite the disarray at its home-regions, the Rebellion continued to scrape its way through the Central Galactic territories of the Gimoan Alliance, bolstered by the lucrative victory over the wealthy Felosheek Kingdom.

By 151, 2nd Age, Chaotic Epoch, the Gimoan Alliance had been defeated. The Rebellion finally reached the Gimoan capital of Old Astur, already abandoned, ruinous, and covered in ash. The Rebels, famously, chose not to lay claim to the Gimoan capital, nor did they even visit the planet. Instead, the Rebels ignored it. This was the final kick in the teeth for the last remaining Gimoans, whose comparatively sparse populations had not yet overcome the loss of their historically and culturally significant homeworld. Gradually, they too were tracked down and eradicated by the Rebels in small-scale conflicts, akin to those at the start of the Wars, some 250 years earlier.

## **The Ragash Regime**

After the downfall of the Gimoan Alliance, the Rebellion dissolved into its formerly disparate groups as it once was prior to Shamfast’s speech at the 262 Rally and the eventual signing of the Broogpact. Much of the Rebel Army disbanded, returning home to its respective regions in the Outer Territories in order to defend its people from the numerous tyrants and invasions that had become commonplace there. Many of the soldiers present in the Rebellion at this time had never even been to their ancestral homes of the Outer Territories, having been born in the claimed regions of the former Gimoan Alliance. Much of the Army stayed, however, continuing to defend the new Rebel capital on the planet Hrammar, a former territory of the Gimoans. The thinly spread Rebel Army struggled to occupy all of its newly claimed territories strewn across the galaxy, and already the Ragash Regime was having to abandon numerous planets it once fought tirelessly to claim. A large percentage of the population in the Outer Territories fled their ancestral homelands in order to escape the chaos there, emigrating to the new worlds of the Central Galaxy. Many were excited, holding out hope for the Ragash Regime and that it would provide its people with the prosperity that had been promised throughout the Rebellion all the way back to Shamfast’s first speeches; but the prosperous future for the people of the Outer Territories remained but a fading hope. Fearing rising conspiracies of a revolt, the Regime put efforts in place to effectuate a ruthless crackdown on covert Alliance-sympathisers, spending what little wealth it had to ensure the continuation of its rule. The Regime largely failed to achieve its ambitions, inadvertently causing a catastrophic impact on trade due to the plummeting galactic economy. Many of the migrants from the Outer Territories started losing their faith in the Regime, and gradually it made enemies of the people it once sought to liberate. The Brooglords, many of whom were old enough to remember the days of Shamfast and the end of the Emergent Epoch, began demanding the promised reimbursement from the financially unstable Ragash Regime for the huge investments they had made to the Wars, having funded a large portion of the Rebellion’s cause. Upon realising that the Regime was unable to meet its promises, the Broogs revolted.