The Great Bohemian War

The end of law, the birth of chaos.

The Conflict

Prelude

The Opal Empire was a massive imperial nation that dominated the entire eastern half of Kohlm. The United Domains of Sanguine were an fascist dictatorship that dominated the entire western half of Kohlm. While Opal sought piece, the United Domains desired nothing but conquest. These intentions were made clear despite many diplomatic events between the two superpowers to try to find a middle ground.

Deployment

The United Domains began to seize territory pushing east, with ambitions to take over the entire continent. In response, the Opal Empire began to annex territory on their western front at a more fevered pace, in an effort to form a bulwark against the United Domains. Both nations did what they could with their resources until they arrived at an impasse, with only Bohemia lying directly in the middle between them.

Battlefield

Bohemia was a large, free nation that was not influenced by any of its neighbours. It was bordered by Homestrand to the north - unoccupied and rugged - and Cascadia to the south - a land embroiled in a never-ending civil war. It's neighbours made Bohemia weak, but the nation was willing to put up a fight.
The eastern half of Bohemia was ripe for invasion by Opal, as it had no natural defenses or borders stopping a blitzkrieg. The west was fortified by mountains, but that hadn't stopped the United Domains before. Moreover, neither army cared for negotiation, because they only saw Bohemia as a roadblock to their larger goal. The inevitable conclusion would be war in the Bohemian plains.

Conditions

Opal attempted to coerce Bohemia into annexation before and after invading the eastern region of Konstanze. This distracted the Bohemian Guard from the defenses on the west, where their regional capital of Nova was quickly overrun, destroying many troops along with local militias.

The Engagement

When The Pillar was erected, both armies saw this as either some bizarre event that could serve as a distraction, or as a surprise attack by the enemy. Opal and Sanguine both rushed their entire forces across the border, meeting near The Pillar itself. When they realized what the structure was, they both vyed for control of The Structure to loot its riches for month. Finally, war came just south of Zenith when it activated its Citadel Protocol, making it impossible for either army to invade.
But then the Moon's Cry occurred. The Bohemian army, under their newly elected monarchy, sought defense from the demons within Zenith. Sanguine and Opal retreated, attempting to defend themselves, although rumours are that they were slaughtered by the tens of thousands.

Outcome

With so many skilled military forces in the Bohemia area - the epicenter for the Moon's Cry - this meant there were tens of thousands of expert warriors to fend off the hordes of The Gloom. Although many lives were lost, even a few of The Gloom being slain early was a net positive for everyone.

Aftermath

The Moon's Cry was a terrible event, not only for the terror it released, but also the massive amount of blood that poured down from The Moon itself to transport its millions of monsters. This blood was shielded away by Yggdrasil, but this meant that all this liquid poured upon the outskirts of Bohemia. The mountains that bordered Bohemia on all sides made for a perfect barrier to keep the blood out, while allowing it to drown the surrounding landscape.
For Bohemia, this meant that Bohemia - once landlocked beyond a small bay - was now an island surrounded by hostile monstrosities on all sides. It also meant all Sanguine and Opal armies who were fighting in Bohemia and survived the initial onslaught were now stuck in the country. These armies surrendered to Bohemia in time, and joined the Bohemian Guard to defend their now shared space.
For Sanguine and Opal however, the results were less rosy. Not only were their most skilled warriors now isolated beyond a sea of blood, not only did this sea of blood drown much of their logistical resources, but now terrible beings were coming out of the blood seas and ravaging the lands.

Historical Significance

Legacy

Opal fared acceptably, given the circumstances. Their supply lines from the east were massive, and they quickly mobilized new armies to fight the beasts. But they were quickly slain, and learned that defending their cities was infinitely safer and more efficient. The Opal Empire retired to its central cities, now completely disconnected from each other for decades, allowing for the entire Empire to evaporate into a rough collection of isolated city-states over time. Although the country was able to coalesce any survivors after the end of The Gloom's reign into the country of Opalesce, there was no more ambition for dominance like before, and the newly formed empire settled on defending its borders.
The United Domains fared terribly. The plan of President McArthur was to conscript and enslave as many able-bodied people as possible, and consistently re-enforce the Bohemian war effort until Opal was pushed back, allowing them to annex Bohemia and force the Bohemian Guard into their service. This meant all of the Domain's best armies were at the front line, leaving the rest of the nation to support itself on a skeleton crew of various gendarmeries and militias. While this plan was likely to work - they could have easily overwhelmed the Opal Army - it didn't take into account an apocalypse. The pouring of blood over the mountains of Bohemia rendered a huge swathe of land and utilities the United Domains had prepared obsolete immediately. Those who were able to flee found themselves being hunted by The Gloom. The tide of The Gloom swept across the western continent, devouring the majority of the populace of The United Domains. Only well after the event was The United Domains second-biggest rival, The Holy Empire of Amateru, able to use the event as a springboard to propel its armies against The Gloom and begin to purge the western continent.
Bohemia lost the majority of its land, but maintained the majority of its population, despite the horrors that afflicted the country. The Kaiser renamed Bohemia as Bastion, and set about reforming the government, having the monarchy assimilate directly with the military, forming a Citizen Statocracy, ensuring that all people who remain in the country were loyal to the defense of the nation first, and active in the society second. Although the growing pains were strong, Bastion thrives today, still occupying its home territory.

Conflict Type

Military Campaign

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

-72

Ending Date

-52

Conflict Result

Bohemia defended itself against the onslaught, Sanguine and Opal were defeated and collapsed.

Location

Bohemia