Ten years to the day.
Our timeline of events in this chapter is as follows:
01-23-2016: View of Xenon Tower
THE VERUZIAN COLD WAR:
The Second Veruzian war was born in the annexation of the Rohan. The people of Rohan were another local population of the island of Veruzia, focused around the middle of the island. They bore a notable resemblance to the Rohan of Tolkien’s world, who themselves were modelled after the pre-Norman Saxons of Britain. While not impossible that a similar German Visigoth-influenced group could have settled Veruzia at some point, it is more likely that the Rohan of Veruzia were closer linguistically to the Morlachs or Vlachs of the Balkans. These were Romanian-speaking peoples living outside of Romania, often in a rural and pastoralist mode of living. This pastoralist lifestyle encouraged a riding culture and martial proficiency similar to that seen by Tolkien’s Rohan, though other aspects remain unlinked. The Rohan could also be connected to the Rohan noble family of Brittany, or improbably linked to the followers of Adam de Rohan. The latter was an Adamite leader of the Hussite wars who preached a variant of Christianity which reportedly encouraged free love, nudity, and a sharing of property. In either case, the Rohan were an officially stateless people living in a rural existence. During the closing days of the First Veruzian War their representatives were offered a place at the negotiating table alongside Veruzia, the Elves, and one of the many Piratecraft iterations of Rome. As an aside, while the many Romes/SPQRs of the server are extremely relevant to later events of Veruzian history, they are not for the First and Second Veruzian wars. It is assumed henceforth that each represents some political variation of Italy.
The annexation of Rohan territory seems to have been largely consensual, as their leaders were given representation in Veruzia and their sparse settlements reinforced with Veruzian defenses. Given the expansion of the Xenon southwords, it is assumed that the Rohan felt threatened and sided with the more urbanly-centralized Veruzians, who themselves would have no issue with maintaining the Rohans’ traditional lifestyle given that their different modes of living precluded any competition for space. Despite this, the growth and reinforcement of Veruzia so soon after the first war raised hackles amongst other powers. But this was not the only cause for alarm.
Vivenheim, with its Elvish foundations and war scars, proved insufficient after the war. It was decided that a new city would be founded, known as Pallivadia. I pronounce it as Pallidavia, in what I can only assume is a regional accent of Veruzia. The city was heavily fortified, including a complex of fortifications dug into the hillside itself. Administration was split between KingRS in the central areas and myself on the outskirts and docks. The city would grow with astonishing speed. By the turn of the 20th century it would even outclass Glasgow in population while nearing Constantinople in density. Migrating Rohirrim of Rohan formed a large contingent of the new city, as well as more waves of Veruzian arrivals from the southern islands. There were many outlying settlements as well, including the central hub of Rohan culture at Dunharrow.
Much of this rising prosperity can be attributed to technological advancement. WilsonManzer during this time had constructed a reinforced sea-based platform known as the “Holodeck”, which harvested rare resources, perhaps pearls or oil, from the ocean floor. Historically this parallels the sea-based Palmerston forts of the 1860s and the early oil boom of Pennsylvania. Actual offshore oil rigs were still decades out, but in the shallower waters of the coastal Adriatic some form of poulder could potentially be constructed. Coal mines by this point had already reached below the ocean floor when dug from land, for a similar example. Regardless, the Holodeck was a lynchpin of Veruzia's rising prosperity after the first war.
Alongside the Rohan, Veruzia sought diplomatic alliances with the SPQR, who play the part of the Kingdom of Italy, and the Entarian Alliance. The latter was a state which had fought against the 0utlaws as well, being founded with the aid of a former British subject. While not a one-to-one parallel, Greece seems a decent blueprint of the Entarians. Lord Byron is not InventorJohn, but the comparison works in an abstract sense. Veruzia seeking allies from two states directly on its borders, nations which presumably wanted at least some of the land held by Veruzia, might seem odd. It makes sense once the Ottoman and Austrian empires are considered, as both powers would have been greater mutual opponents of all three members of the so-called “Federated Nations Alliance”.
Veruzia was rising again. Faster than before, more advanced, and this time with allies. The unexpected resulted. The Xenon Empire, still playing the role of Austria, asked to join. So too did the 13 Colonies, substituting for America. What was originally a military alliance was shifting into an economic and political block in opposition to the British and Elves, who themselves were only loosely associated at this point compared with the later Entente Cordial. The Xenon however still remained part of the Anglo-Elven “League of Nations”, not the historical organization we know but closer to the Concert of Europe maintained between Britain, the Elves, and the Xenon. Their membership in the FNA was not long however, as they were removed after information about the Entarians was smuggled out to the LoN. These leaked plans set the stage for the final stage of the Veruzian Cold War, the Superweapons arms race.
The Entarians had been producing an “Orbital Bombardment System”, which was in reality a battery of cannons placed at a high mountain altitude designed to fire defensively over incredible ranges into passes and chokepoints. The “Orbital” in the name referred to how the cannons could be rapidly rotated in and out of position on tracks to ensure a steady pace of fire. Despite this, the name and secrecy attached to the project were more than enough to spur the powers of the LoN to action. What separates this arms race from the Dreadnought Rush or the Nuclear race of the 20th century was that no single theme existed, and that few of the projects saw completion. The Entarian system was only half-finished and much less impressive than it seemed, while the dreaded “Elven Bio-Weapon” was in reality a series of munitions and pharmaceutical facilities distributed across several cities. The Elves were the most prolific creators of Superweapons of one sort or another, innovating early flamethrower designs and constructing large artillery platforms in their homeland. These would not see use in the Second Veruzian war, as the Elves did not participate, and would only make a halfhearted effort during the Franco-Prussian war the year before. This resembles the real failure of the Mitrailleuse volley guns France held during that same war. The British meanwhile drew up a plan for “Super Massive Ship”, before scrapping the idea due to cost and technical limitations. Considering the date, it could well have been an attempt at a weaponized version of Brunel’s Great Eastern, which had launched less than a decade before as the world’s largest ship. Only the Xenon actually used a Superweapon in the conflict, that being the infamous Xenon tower. The structure was a monstrous ten story building, built over a decade before the Home Insurance Building would be crowned as the first skyscraper. It rose from a harbour north of Pallidavia, just across the border. Sixty-four cannons peered out from various floors, looming on the horizon of Veruzia’s newborn capital. In basic function it resembled coastal artillery positions constructed throughout the 19th century, but at a scale comparable only to the German Flak towers of the Second World War. This was not defensive, like the system of the Entarians or the Elven fortifications. The Xenon tower was made for one purpose, to bombard the city of Pallidavia. This threat spurred Veruzia to action. Instead of constructing Superweapons the nation worked diplomatically to try and placate the British while founding seven new settlements around Pallidavia, linked with fortification systems and Veruzia’s first railways. Rather than maintaining a strong border as they had tried with the First Veruzian War, now the nation intended to create a ring of defenses around an already heavily fortified core. It had worked before with Vivenheim, it would have to work this time as well.
THE SECOND VERUZIAN WAR:
Veruzia sabotaged itself. The Entarians, who had started the whole arms race with their bombardment system, were removed from the FNA. This was done apparently to expel the more aggressive member of the alliance in an effort to appear less expansionist. It left the bloc with only the SPQR and Veruzia, with the latter handling negotiations. But by this time it was already much too late to try and present the FNA as a commercial partnership instead of a military alliance, and even if the plan had succeeded the Xenon tower was still nearing completion with seven stories finished. The Veruzians had a slim chance of averting war if they managed to calm the British, who could keep the Xenon in check. KingRS took charge of negotiations with the British Prime Minister, CrazyPirate1. In our history, the British PM of the time was Gladstone, who will be important shortly. These last-minute negotiations proved not only insufficient, but actually provided a casus belli to the British after repeated exchanges of threats and insults. In early 1872 the British declared war, followed by the 13 Colonies and the Xenon Empire.
Gladstone’s foreign policy often reflected a preference for democratic systems, as seen with his protests over the German annexation of Alsace-Lorraine without a plebiscite. To this end, the British war goals were to force the abdication of KingRS and establish a Veruzian Republic. The 13 Colonies backed this goal, while the Xenon were lukewarm to the idea and instead only wanted more land and to permanently halt Veruzian expansionism. Considering that the Austrian monarchs themselves were in a fairly precarious situation it is understandable as to why they would not want to set a precedent of removing regional nobility from power. Veruzia meanwhile had no stated war aims, and was never in a strong enough position to decide upon any.
The war began at the top of the Xenon tower. It was not yet complete, but enough guns were in position to begin the bombardment of Pallidavia. The 13 Colonies also bombarded the city from the harbour, although their overall participation in the war was limited. Considering that America did not historically intervene in Europe at all in this decade it makes sense that the only assistance provided would come from a passing ship or perhaps an independent filibuster. Whereas the First Veruzian War was defined by guerilla warfare in greater Veruzia and a prolonged siege of Vivenheim, the Second was, with a single exception, defined by the bombardment of Pallidavia. The Xenon could bring industrial quantities of fire onto the capital, and unlike with Bismarck at Paris a year earlier there was no respite to be granted. The Veruzians had after all, in the eyes of the Xenon, started this conflict by settling the island in the first place. For their part, the British aided in this bombardment and provided ground forces to skirmish around the outer fortifications of Pallidavia and its satellite settlements. But their greatest contribution would be at sea.
The Holodeck was razed by the Royal Navy. This was destruction of a new intensity, where the machinery and structure of the platform itself were fed to a great conflagration before sinking beneath the waves. Before the platform had completely collapsed there was intense fighting both above and below the waves in the many chambers and tunnels of the facility, the Veruzian defenders flushed out before the platform itself was demolished. One member of the Xenon present at the raid, steentje321, would be commended and memorialized in statuary for his actions during this desperate fight. By the end of the battle not a scrap of iron or stone would be left above the surface.
The SPQR did not join in the conflict, seeing which way the wind was blowing and not prepared for another war against the Xenon so soon after 1866. The Elves, likewise shaken by the recent Franco-Prussian War, did nothing to intervene. They did, however, offer sanctuary to Veruzians fleeing the conflict. Whether this was to lay the groundwork for postwar influence or out of pity and guilt for their own war against the Veruzians remains unclear. The SPQR’s abstention left Veruzia alone against two great powers. Pallidavia continued to hold out. The leadership of Veruzia and most of the remaining defenders spent their time in the fortified underground complex they had constructed before the war, listening to the detonations overhead. The inhabitants by this point had either taken up arms to join the defense or left, rendering the city lifeless aside from marching patrols of soldiers and the constant blast of explosions. In the moments between when the tower would fire, nothing at all could be heard.
Pallidavia survived fourteen months of sustained bombardment, taking cover in basements and bunkers while the surface was pounded to dust. In 1873, the Veruzian Empire ceased to exist. KingRS agreed to abdicate, while WilsonManzer took control of the state. No longer an empire, the new Veruzian Republic limped slowly to the negotiating table. Considering the severity of the defeat, the terms were light. All claims to Xenon territory were formally renounced, chunks of the border regions were given to the Xenon, and a neutral zone was established between the two nations to avoid further friction. Vivenheim was occupied and partially demolished by British soldiers during this time, with the resources and manpower going towards the partial reconstruction of Pallidavia. The city would grow in population again, but never prosperity. The old walls would be torn down and instead a vast sprawling settlement would take its place, low and hungry. In time it would be abandoned, but in the immediate period following the end of the Second Veruzian War it stood as a stark reminder of how much had been lost. No more railways would operate, and neither would the Holodeck ever be rebuilt. Previous wars had left Veruzia shattered, it was the curse of the nation, but the Second broke the island of Veruzia in one year what had taken the 0utlaws collective decades to achieve with South Verussi.
PERSONAL ASIDE:
Piratecraft was not the first time I interacted with other people on the internet. It was, however, the first time I did so like this. Not by sharing resources or making silly jokes, but through conflict and in some instances even in fear of others. My typing style in the following screenshots is rather different than how it is nowadays, and there is an obvious reason behind that. I am not about to claim that being raided on a Minecraft server cost me my youthful innocence, but it did impact me in ways I only appreciated much later. For one, calling it a raid is somewhat underplaying the event. Due to how the siege plugin of the server works, players are required to stay online and alive within claimed land to prevent it from becoming partially destructible. Thusly, whenever an attack was launched we would have to wait for hours at a time underground for the bombardment to dissipate and for the attackers to grow bored or run out of time. I was logging in for afternoon fun and finding myself suddenly embroiled in a conflict for the survival of a nation and people where all I could do was sit and wait for an inevitable defeat by an overwhelming force as all that I had built over so many afternoons of simple fun was put at risk through shot and shell. This is a dramatic description, but subconsciously I was intaking this information. Unlike MMO games or rigid Roleplay servers with an unchanging status quo, Veruzia could have died there, never to be revived. Even though we lost and were changed, the mere act of having avoided that death was something that I felt I had contributed to materially. I was not a player on a stage but a genuine historical figure. This inflated sense of self was probably not helped a few years later when a brief article on the Piratecraft wiki was written about me. Still, a little ego can go a long way. I do not think I would be writing this post if I had not been recognized then. At the same time, there was a sadness to the war as well. New lands had opened on the borders of the world and Pallidavia suddenly felt not only damaged but antiquated and small. Both to get away from future conflict and to explore the new regions of the world I left, remaining a Veruzian but staying outside of the future settlements. I took a few hiatuses on and off but stayed Veruzian through it all. Eventually everyone else was banned or moved on, though I do still see KingRS once or twice a year. Pallidavia was the last time I cohabitated with so many other players on Piratecraft, and now I am standing at the far end of a decade of self-isolation and realizing that I am the last man alive. Well, not exactly, but I am the last self-avowed Veruzian to still play. This is my own fault, I did not work much to grow the crew and when I did I failed to maintain that growth, but few of the new connections I made ever felt like they had before the war. Did I lose something in the conflict or had I just grown out of a phase? It is hard to tell.
Try not to read too much into all of this. The patterns of Piratecraft are limited to one server and not some meta reflection on my whole life up until this point. For the most part, anyways.
COLOURIZED PHOTOGRAPHS:
12-14-2015: Sunset view of Pallidavia
12-21-2015: Interior of the Holodeck
12-21-2015: Interior of the Holodeck
12-21-2015: Interior of the Holodeck
01-24-2016: Start of Hostilities
01-26-2016: Sheltering in Place Within the Holodeck
01-30-2016: Survey of a Single Day’s Outer Bombardment Damage
What is next? Uniforms, to be certain. But perhaps after that an exploration of Pallidavian architecture? The state of the Veruzian navy? Maybe even a tour of New Pallidavia. The Great Roman War and the Veruzian Civil War will definitely have to wait for me to recover, though perhaps not for their respective ten year anniversaries.
It is my hope that you have enjoyed this month-long coverage of the Second Veruzian War. Ten years is not so long after all, and yet simultaneously an eternity to look back upon. But until we return to this place, I have only one more thing to leave you with:
Viva Veruzi!
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