By: Hoaseng Thao

Much has changed since the First Continentals War (1948-1956). The dawn of the new millennium marked a new and haunting era for the world; a cold war began as soon as the time ticked to January 1, 2000, and the contenders were the Vaserian Federation and the Democratic Union of Kavara. Both nations wield the divine powers of Arcerium warheads, the same design of weapon used to end the First Continentals War.

Vaseria and Kavara began to amass their military might and collect new allies to compete for world dominance, and it all came to a head when Kavaran ally, Alakis, invaded the Vaserian ally, Krinia in 2023, marking the beginning of the Second Continentals War. It was a relatively short war that ended in a ceasefire, not because one side was faltering but because of an event so devastating it would change the course of the entire world.

The event was known as the Arcerium Rising.

On October 5th, arcerium fields within the Arcerian continent erupted abruptly across the entire continent, contaminating it with arcerium and arsoulium. The damage done was severe enough that two warring superpowers chose to end hostilities and clean up the disaster. All events following Arcerium Rising would shape the future of the world, whether it be for the best or worst.

The year is 2049, and this is the state of the world.

NOTABLE FACTIONS

It is clear that for a nation to survive in this new world, they would need more than just an army, they would need the help of other nations not only for security but to turn a bark into a roar on the international stage.

PATO (POLARIS ALLIANCE TREATY ORGANIZATION) 

PATO is a global organization led by the Vaserian Federation, their goal is to keep the Kavaran threat at bay while guaranteeing the security of the free world whether it be through peaceful means or by intervention. Some call them an alliance of self-righteous bullies.

CDP (CROATOKE DEFENSE PACT)

The CDP is a pact formed, and led by, Kavara, mainly to secure as many allied states around the world; its goal is to expand the influence of its member states by any means necessary. Despite having the word defense in its name, the alliance has been responsible for starting many conflicts including the Second Continentals War.

ON (ORGANIZATION OF NATIONS)

The ON is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to maintain international peace and security by all means possible. But if peace cannot be achieved peacefully, they can always rely on their peacekeepers who tend to keep the peace by force and force only.

ISAO (INDEPENDENT STATES OF ARCERIA ORGANIZATION)

When the Arcasian Civil War broke out following the Arcerium Rising event, an alliance of Arcasian states began to fight a war for independence. To many, they are terrorists taking advantage of a terrible situation, but to many, they are freedom fighters reclaiming lost land.

CONFLICTS IN MOTION

ARCASIAN CIVIL WAR (2023-present)

The Arcasian Civil War is the deadliest war to have ever occurred, when the Arcerium Rising event began, it sent the already unstable Federal States of Arcasia into turmoil, and the states within sought independence.

Not wanting to face embarrassment from the international community, the Arcasian government kept everything under wraps, isolating itself from the world and keeping the war and their failures to contain arcerium a secret until 2034, when they finally asked for international intervention.

What happened in those 11 years remains a mystery, but what is known is that a billion people used to live in what is now the Arcerium Rising Exclusion Zone, and their whereabouts remain a mystery. What is happening now in Arcasia is complicated, but what is certain is that this war is not going to end any time soon.

ORBESJKAN CIVIL WAR (2030-present)

The Orbesjkan Civil War began when the government allowed some states autonomy over their regions before they could declare independence. This was done so that some regions could transition into independent nations peacefully, but only a few selected states were given this treatment.

In 2030, states in the northern regions, feeling neglected by the government, declared independence with the support of the CDP, and began a war to free other states in the south, beginning the Orbesjkan Civil War.

HOSHIRAN CIVIL WAR (2046-present)

The Hoshiran Civil War began when the Suineng hydroelectric dam broke apart and killed nearly fifty thousand people. The dam was known to be in a dire state and yet the government refused to do anything about it. Fed up with the government, the citizenry began to revolt against the government and formed warlord states to solve what they believed were the issues that plague their kingdom.

EPREAU-INDO WAR (2043-present)

The Epreau-Indo War is a conflict between the Republic of Epreau and Republic of Indoshia that began after border clashes led to the deaths of several border troops from each side, which then spurred an all out war between the two nations. As of 2049, the war has hit a stalemate.

DRONGO-ZEHERA WAR (2048-present)

In their attempt to regain lost territories, The Republic of Drongo, alongside their CDP allies, declared war on the Zehera Union. Although Zehera was no match for the full might of the CDP, the failures of the Drongon army in the first few weeks of their invasion saw the CDP pull out of the conflict and to merely advise the Drongon’s into “winning” the war.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

The future of this world hinges on the cool steady minds of its inhabitants, one fatal error could send every living being to have ever lived to their maker. If the world ignites in total war again as it did so long ago in Koldr and in Krinia, there will be no winners or losers, only survivors.

War is human nature, and we are doomed to repeat it.

By: Hoaseng Thao

THE TABLES HAVE TURNED

Starting January 15, 1951, the Kirston army made their counter offensive against the Cazars and the newly arrived Kirston expeditionary forces. The attack was successful, not because of the reorganization of forces in the mountains, but the introduction of a new weapon, the aerial carrier, KIAF Spirit of Eve, the world’s first operational aerial carrier.

The KIAF Spirit of Eve, was a revolutionary weapon that turned the tide of the war, it launched jets from a runway on the top and fired cannons from the bottom, and it was able to do this with its powerful arcerium reactor.

The aircraft had been built in collaboration with the Kirston government and the defense manufacturer, Shinka Industries, the premier defense manufacturer from the Vaserian Federation.

With this new weapon it was able to seize control over the skies of Kirsto, allowing the army to advance without worrying of enemy close air support. The Terrans retreated back into Cazar or occupied Icana by the end of January, the Kirston army was able to take back their country, and in their success was the hope of turning the war in favor of a Coalition victory.

REVITALIZED WAR

With the Terrans defeated in Kirsto, many Eusonan nations joined the war, such as the Orbesjkan Empire and the Holstaid dynasty, with the latter taking the opportunity to invade Cazar on March 10. With the Terrans driven out of Kirsto, Coalition forces in Kyusia seized the moment to enact their greatest feat of the war up to that point.

Coalition forces began their advance to regain control of Sapan on the 12th of July, codenamed “Cherry Landing”. The operation was to airdrop troops behind enemy lines, sabotaging logistical lines and preventing enemy reinforcements from reaching the advancing Coalition forces.

The fiercest fighting of the war began on that fateful day, but it was very well needed as the Coalition began to sweep through the southern plains of Sapan and even reaching to the western coastline. Their successes had to end at one point, and it ended as soon as they reached the mountains of Sapan that blocked the southern plains from reaching the north.

Many attempts were made to breach the mountains, few were successful, but most ended in disaster. The operation would end in early October, and despite suffering more losses than the Terrans, the Coalition were successful in regaining control of southern Sapan.

AN EYE FOR AN EYE

Happening around the same time was the invasion of Cazar on September 3rd. While having a large army of over ten million strong, the Cazars would have the majority stationed too far from home, and combined with the Kirstons new aerial warship and the entry of Orbesjka and Holstaid, the home guard of Cazar could barely fight the fight on its own.

The Cazars surrendered to the Coalition in large numbers, ranging from a hundred to ten thousand surrendering troops. But those who pleaded for mercy from the arriving Kirstons found none. It was ruthless, it was bloody, but it was undoubtedly revenge in its extreme form.

Sana, the capital of the Cazar Empire that for centuries held up the foundations of the aging empire, was burnt down on January 22, 1952. Had the advancing Orbesjkans and Hostaidi’s been there a few days earlier, they would have spared the city from the revenge of the Kirstons.

In the fall of their capital, many regions within the vast empire declared their independence and were willing to fight to keep it. Soon the entire empire was engulfed in chaos, with the coalition unwilling to spend more resources to quell the rebelling states across the now destroyed empire. The Cazar Civil War has begun, leading to decades of conflict.

As the Cazars left the conflict for good, Coalition forces in Eusona eyed the Valkyrie Peninsula and the occupying Osteran forces stationed there. If they were successful in retaking the peninsula, they would be able to launch an invasion of Ostera through the Lapish Channel and force the Great Terra to relieve their forces in Sapan to avoid a Coalition steamroll in Ostera.

A complete reversal of Cazar’s invasion of the Valkyrie Peninsula began on the 10th of June, 1952, with Coalition forces pushing the Osterans out of the peninsula by the end of September. The newly formed People’s Republic of Kalavia, which was created by Great Terra in the Coalition surrender the year before, quickly aligned themselves with the Coalition and turned its back on its creators.

TREIJON HAS GONE ILL

With the Valkyrie Peninsula returning to the Coalition, the Jupitan Premier, Alek Treijon, and the mastermind of the whole war and leading figure of Great Terra, cracked from the weight of it all. He slowly grew paranoid with power, and feared that his own generals were after him or worse, losing control of the Great Terra he created.

To avoid the many scenarios he created in his head, Treijon would secretly purge military officers, politicians, or anyone with a resemblance of power within Great Terra to labor camps or execution. December 12, 1952, Treijon announces himself as eternal emperor of Great Terra, hoping to guide it long after his passing.

As the summer of 1953 came along, Emperor Treijon was informed by his generals that his new weapon was finished and operational, all that was needed was his approval for it to be used on the battlefield.

By: Hoaseng Thao

THE NEXENS OF GREAT TERRA

Nexens, or Homo Nexums, evolved from Humans like many other races, however unlike most of them that evolved to have animalistic body parts, Nexums retained nearly 99% of Human traits with the exception of being naturally taller with the average healthy Nexen growing up to, or even over, seven feet tall.

Their lack of animalistic traits and unusually tall stature, made the Nexens visually inferior to other humanoid races, who believed them to be a mistake in human evolution and were not worthy of having special traits like themselves. Because of this, Nexens were often forced into slavery, with them being the main labor force for Great Terra. That was until 32 BH.

In 32 BH, the slavery of Nexens in Great Terra gave birth to a Nexen boy in Triaag, a mining town for slaves. Growing up, the boy learned to read and write from the few books he stole, where he learned what life of being free was like, or at least from what few words he understood.

But when Great Terra’s economy collapsed in 16 BH and the empires within started to show their cracks, the boy seized the opportunity and fled from the small town, to embark on a journey across the world.

His journey across the known world as a Nexen on the run, would see the start of his radical ideas of a new world, one where freedom, liberty, and justice was the norm for all beings. By the time the Revolutionary War started in 18 BH, the boy, amongst the low ranks of the revolutionary army, stood above his fellow soldiers and preached his ideas of a new world.

His words enlightened those who listened, and they too would spread his words. As the Revolutionary War continued, the boy grew to become a prominent figure amongst the revolutionaries; historians still don’t know his real name but he is known by his moniker, Hero.

THE CONTINENT OF EUSONA

After the failed Terran September offensive of 1949, Great Terra realized that they could not break Coalition forces in Kyusia. So their focus turned to Eusona, a continent known for its abundant arcerium fields, but one that had fallen behind most of the world in technology.

Most Eusonan nations at the beginning of the 20th century, especially those in the south and east, lacked the industrial power to exploit its abundant arcerium fields. Many countries still relied on horse drawn carriages to travel from place to place, despite the car being made in the dawn of the century. But the few Eusonan nations that had the industry to exploit the abundant amounts of arcerium, became the dominant powers on the continent.

The wealth sustained by arcerium guaranteed the lucky few nations to rapidly modernize, such as the case of the Kirston Empire, who by the time of the war, had the largest arcerium deposit on the continent.

THE START OF THE EUSONAN THEATER

January 15th, 1950, The Cazar Empire invades Kirsto with an army of 500,000 strong. For the past eight months, the Cazars had steadily mobilized their army to the Kirston border without detection. The Cazars overwhelmed the unprepared Kirston army, and within four days, they had already conquered the Kirston capital, Eve. The Kirston army retreated to the Grai mountain range, a strategic range that is home to the tallest mountain in the world, Mount Torrest at around 32,000 feet tall.

With two thirds of their country under occupation by March 12th, and their abundant arcerium fields in the north now under Terran control, Kirsto’s civilian population found themselves the target of Cazar’s wrath.

At first the occupation plan was to relocate the civilian population from the country to central Cazar where they would be put into refugee camps, but when they discovered that most Kirstons in occupied territories were Nexens, the plans changed. The Cazars would still relocate Kirstons, but with the exception of those who were of Nexen origin.

Believing that the inferior Nexen race was the cause for the downfall of Great Terra in the past and for their part in the creation of the “false” Hero, the Cazars in their fit for glory, rounded up the Nexens population en masse, prolonging them to harsh conditions for days before executing them. The numbers vary, but historians believe over 9 million Nexens were killed. A new word would sprout from this mass murder campaign, they call it genocide.

THE WRATH OF GREAT TERRA

As refugees from Kirsto fled into neighboring nations, they brought with them tales of the horrors committed by the Cazars, their illegal removal of Kirston natives and their mass executions of Nexens would only spread fear across the continent.

Before the Coalition could even respond to the invasion of Kirsto, the Cazars in an ambitious operation, invaded its way to Coalition member states on the Valkyrie peninsula. Countries like Icana and Polka fell to Cazar within the first week of April, as their armies were no match to Cazars due to the large technological gap between them.

Coalition member states on the Valkyrie peninsula, Pavlovia, Luxona and Kalavia, panicked as not only was Cazar already within Luxonan territory, but another Great Terran state, The Osteran Socialist Union, was now invading through the Lapish Channel and were now threatening to take Luxona’s capital.

The quick advancements of Great Terra in April saw the Coalition states in Eusona caught off guard, and by June 2nd, the peninsula was cut in half as Cazar and Osteran forces met one another at the Battle for Tattburg.

Although being important Coalition member states, the Coalition did not have the logistical capabilities to send troops and supplies to support their allies in Eusona, as Great Terran states such as Epreau and Hoshira, controlled the Krinian ocean with their superior fleets. With no support, the Coalition in Eusona had only one choice to protect their people.

August 20th, 1950, the Federal Republic of Luxona, the Kingdom of Pavlovia, and the Grand Duchy of Kalavia, issued their terms of surrender to Great Terra, which was accepted immediately. The Coalition was hit with their worst loss of the war, as they now lost three of their founding members to Great Terra. It appeared that soon enough the war was going to be a Great Terran victory.

By: Hoaseng Thao

PROLOGUE

On the early dusk of August 29th, 1948, General Calor Thor, age 31, of the Jupitan Imperial Army and commander of Army Group Caster, stood on the tarmac of a makeshift airfield and stared at the sky. His gaze on the starry skies kept still until the sounds of roaring fighter jets slowly approached the runway that his gaze finally returned down to the ground. The invasion of Sapan lies in his hands, and failure is not an option.

TROUBLED TIMES IN SAPAN

The Kingdom of Sapan resides on the Kyusian continent, and for most of its history, was the strongest nation on the planet. That was until the Great Vaserian War of 1920, when their invasion of the Vaserian Federation led to a devastating four year war that cost the lives of over three million Sapanese soldiers, and a resounding victory for Vaseria.

Three million young men and women died overseas in a failed invasion, an entire generation was lost, and those who lost loved ones blamed the war hungry government. In 1926, King Genta III, who had started the war, was forced to abdicate the throne when it appeared that the entire country was rioting against him.

On November 20th, 1940, the king’s nephew, Lord Daiki, was crowned king due to his vocal support against the war with Vaseria. His policies as king saw the nation turn away from its militaristic past in favor of improving the lives of its people, however he would pass away three years in his reign before he could fully implement his policies.

King Daiki’s brother, Lord Jiro, was crowned the next king of Sapan, but his rule led to rampant corruption within his government and a rise of independence movements by many ethnic groups in the far east and south, who felt that his rule was the final straw of staying under Sapanese rule.

OPERATION FORWARD HIKE

With the help of corrupt Sapanese officials, Great Terran forces were able plan an invasion of Sapan, with the main force invading from the northern coastline to make a mad dash to the capital, Nozomi, while the Hoshiran army would invade from their shared border to liberate the ethnic groups in eastern Sapan.

Under the command of General Thor, Over 50,000 soldiers were airdropped on the Sapanese northern plains and another 50,000 landed via the Ara Sea on August 29th, 1948. Their mission was to quickly reach the Sapanese capital, Nozomi, and occupy important government buildings and install a pro-Terran government with the help of corrupt military officials.

Despite having the advantage, General Thor cautiously moved his forces, but many of his field officers refused his orders in order to claim the glory of taking the Sapanese capital. Those who stood by Thor’s orders were lucky, as the ambitious officers were soon wiped out by the supposed “corrupt” Sapanese army.

The supposedly corrupt Sapanese army they had confronted in their invasion was being led by the king’s daughter, Princess Chiyo. Prior to the invasion, The princess, as well as members of the Ministry of Defense, learned of the Terran invasion plot after receiving coded messages from a mole within Jupita’s high command, and quickly formed a force of 100,000 loyal followers to combat the invasion.

Fierce fighting began as the sun broke the horizon. When news broke out about the invasions from the north and east, thousands armed themselves to combat the invaders. In the east, the Hoshiran armies met fierce resistance by the ethnic groups they were supposed to be “liberating”. Despite being under Sapanese rule for centuries, these groups were still loyal to the crown or at least the ever more heroic Princess.

Upon hearing that the invasion of Sapan started, the King tried to flee the royal palace but was immediately reprimanded by the Princess and the Royal Guard, and forced him to abdicate the throne in favor of putting the Princess in charge. The princess immediately called upon full mobilization of the Army, and by September 3rd, the army was fully mobilized and ready to combat the invaders.

The Terrans, despite not achieving their goal of capturing the capital, quickly gained land during the Sapanese mobilization, taking most of the northern coastline as well as the Otryan peninsula in the far east. By September 10th, the entire eastern regions of Sapan capitulated to the Terrans, but there were still many waging guerilla campaigns against the Terrans.

On September 13th, Coalition forces were allowed to enter Sapan, over 300,000 Coalition troops were transported to the Sapanese front. Despite the aid of Coalition troops, Terran forces were able to push south and capture the capital by the end of October, but at the cost of using most of their stocks of chemical weapons.

Over 80% of Sapanese territory was occupied with the southern regions, as well as holdouts in the mountains, remaining under Coalition control. By the new year Princess Chiyo had ordered the army to hold their ground no matter the cost, and it led to the Sapanese front becoming a meat grinder.

EVER EXPANDING WAR

By April 15th, 1949, Hoshiran forces invaded the neighboring Federal Republic of Jinyu to maneuver around Coalition forces in Sapan. Despite capitulating the Jinyun government within hours, they were unable to flank the Coalition, as they too would invade Jinyun to out flank them. The war had now spanned across the entire Kyusian continent, from Sapan in the east to Molivia in the south.

As the war ravaged the Kyusian continent, it was only inevitable that it would spread to another continent. By May of 1949, The Cazar Empire, a member state of Great Terra, was secretly notified by Jupita that it would fully support their territorial ambitions on the Eusonan continent if they invaded their neighboring country, the Kirston empire, and gave Jupita access to its rich Arcerium fields.

Not wanting to be left out of the glory of war, the Cazar empire agreed to their secret deal, and their army would slowly grow in size on the Kirston border. The Cazars shall seek their glory of war, and their flag shall be raised over the Kirston capital. But the Kirstons, who had endured multiple invasion attempts by the Cazars in the past, shall endure it once again for the final time.