A New Discovery
Nearly two hundred years ago, explorers from the nation of Usonia decided that the only way to further their political reach was to explore beyond the Barren Ocean and search for new lands and riches. After several years with no success, the fleet eventually found an untamed land filled with strange new plants and animals, seemingly untouched by human hands; a country now known as New Haven.
The King of Usonia quickly sent more fleets to settle in the new world and established many villages and strongholds along the coast. Settling the new lands was swift, but the King failed to realize he had put his own nation in a vulnerable state. By sending the bulk of his military force to New Haven, a neighboring nation chose to take advantage of their weak defenses and attack Usonia.
Usonia was forced to pull back many of its troops from New Haven to aid in the defense of their homeland. In a bold attempt to continue his expansion of the new world without sacrificing his military strength, the King sent the nation’s refugees on any ship unworthy of battle to New Haven.
The war in Usonia continued for years, and with it, a power shift began to emerge across the new world. Some aristocratic opportunists saw how disgruntled the people were due to having to pay high taxes for a war that was so far away and had nothing to do with them. They saw this as an opportunity to remove the oppressive control of Usonia over the people of New Haven and establish a free nation sworn to no crown; a government designed for the people
New Haven Revolution
Historians argue over where the first shots were fired as well as where the revolution actually began. What they do know is, after a complex and well-coordinated attack, the revolutionists took over nearly every Usonian stronghold within a fortnight; things were looking very promising for the revolutionary leaders.
The Usonian military was the strongest in the known world, but even it couldn’t withstand fighting two wars thousands of miles apart. Signs of weakness began to arise and, just when things couldn’t look worse for Usonia, tragedy struck the royal family. The King had passed quietly in his sleep, without warning, at the age of 59. Chaos ensued across the nation, as it was difficult finding any heir that was willing to take on their predecessor’s burdens. Rumors of rebellion began to spread until a distant cousin stepped up to take the crown.
Queen Forsha was, in many ways, different from the nation’s previous ruler; she had experienced the suffering of the war firsthand and sought a swift, bloodless end to the conflict. Within the first year of her reign, she brokered peace with the war at home. This allowed her to focus the entire Usonian military on the rebellion across the ocean.
With the full might of the military now facing New Haven’s already exhausted militia, destroying the rebellion took mere months with many of its leaders either killed or captured. The war was finally over, but both countries were in disarray. Splitting her efforts between the two, the Queen appointed General Miles Grim, a veteran of the Usonian rebellion and well-liked duke, as Baron over New Haven.
In an effort to impress the Queen and establish control, his first act as ruler was to give all captured and fleeing rebel militias a choice under what he called the Forsha Forgiveness Act: Join his newly formed military expedition force to expand New Haven’s land in the name of the Queen or die in the closest town square by firing squad.
Western Expansion
Some, mostly wealthy, soldiers could flee New Haven or pay to avoid the draft, while the majority were too tired and impoverished to fight any longer, and reluctantly enlisted.
Immediately as the caravan was being organized, Usonian loyalists added an amendment to the Forsha Forgiveness Act, stating all those that enlisted also forfeited their citizenship to New Haven and were now labeled as drifters, leaving them no way to return home even if they survived the expedition or, as the Baron began calling it, The Western Expansion.
The first hurdle of the Western Expansion was to carve a proper roadway through the Blackridge Mountain Range, a natural wall stretching across New Haven’s most northern and southern states. Tensions between troops and drifters only worsened, as blazing a trail through the mountains proved to be no simple task. Deadly twists and turns made it feel more like a rocky labyrinth meant to keep any would-be explorers from reaching its treasures beyond.
After two months of blood and sweat, the caravan was able to cut a highly dangerous but efficient path through Blackridge Mountains. This small progress came at a great cost: nearly a fifth of the original caravan perished, either due to the unforgiving conditions of the expedition or the constant infighting between the two groups. However, with the mountains behind them, they could see beautiful, untouched lands ahead. Feeling the worst was behind them, they named the new lands Deadwood. Ignorant of what this no-man land had in store for them, they continued westward, hoping to hit a coastline within a few months.
All New Threats
To make up for lost time traversing the maze-like mountains, the leaders of the Western Expansion decided it would be best to divide and conquer. They split their forces into four groups; each led by one of the surviving commanders unaware of what dangers awaited them.
The Fyrite Blitz
Discovery of Fyrite and its many scientific advancements.
Modern Society
All caught up with this crazy new world.
