The Conflict
Prelude
Braca was the last country to be conquered by Ilya Shiroko and many in the country resented foreign rule. However, as the centuries wore on, more and more citizens came to accept the new leadership and assimilated into the empire in order to keep peace.
For approximately two hundred years, there were no issues with the population aside from a few radical groups who were mostly ignored by the former Bracans and the empire in general. However, the Bracan da Libre, a much more organized resistance, began moving from a relatively peaceful organization working for Bracan advocacy to a more militaristic group seeking open rebellion and by 557, they had begun attacks on both military garrisons and civilians.
Along with this, the descent of Emperor Timoff III into madness during the latter years of his reign escalated the conflict. Some historians believe it was the actions of the Bracan da Libre that caused former Bracans to become targets of Timoff's paranoid delusions and others think the outcome would have been the same with or without the group.
In late 560, open war broke out in the north eastern part of
Eoion, the former territory of Braca. Both sides sustained heavy casualties over the six months of conflict.
Empress Natalay I, who had created the first flying
Ilyannoi, deposed her husband and older brother, Timoff, taking the throne of Eoion. Using her new creatures, along with standard Ilyannoi and human troops, she put down the rebellion and captured the leader of the Bracan da Libre, along with other high ranking members.
The
Shiroko Dynasty began a campaign of propaganda, successfully turning the empire's citizens against the Bracan da Libre. This caused those of Bracan ancestry to become reviled and led to a movement within the former country to prove that they were loyal to the empire. Sanctions were also placed on descendants of Braca, restricting where they could go and what employment they could hold.
Remnants of the Bracan da Libre went into hiding and mostly remained on the fringes of society.
Historical Significance
Four hundred years later, Bracan descendants have only just begun to claw back their former status as fully free citizens and continue to work toward peace. Those who are still part of the all but destroyed Bracan da Libre sometimes attempt to rally, but have been unsuccessful, mostly chased away by the very citizens they purport to be trying to help. This is partly out of fear of another war and partly out of loyalty to the empire.
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