The
Orochthan Wealth Wars are a series of military conflicts that occurred in the
Shardscape realm of
Orochtha over the course of approximately 60 years. These conflicts were fought over the mineral wealth of Orochtha, the right to extract said wealth, and accountability over environmental damage caused by the industries that sprang up around said wealth. On one side of the conflict were the native Orochthans who were happy to let outsiders help themselves to the mineral wealth of their realm up until the outsiders' greed began to damage their environment, and on the other were the various outsider companies who viewed the Orochthans' consent as optional and thought only of extracting the maximal amount of wealth that they could from the realm.
The Conflict
Prelude
In the beginning, Orochtha traded openly with other realms, happy to exchange their excess of precious gems and metals for goods considered so rare as to be priceless in the realm, but this openness proved to be a mistake. Canny merchants soon realized why Orochthans were so generous with precious commodities and discovered the mineral wealth of their native realm and flocked to Orochtha, hoping to strike up deals to extract the mineral wealth to further their own goals.
What resulted was a gold rush. Governments and private companies came to Orochtha, struck up agreements with the natives, and set about mining the resources they wanted. While relations were initially amicable, one taste of Orochtha's mineral wealth—and the relative ease of extracting such—incited a desire for more. Although attempts were initially made to mask violations of established agreements, these outside entities were only emboldened by the Orochthans' seeming disinterest.
Orochthan discontentment began in villages closest to the mining sites, where local Kiepheloi colonies began to sicken and die as a result of ingesting chemicals used by the outsiders in gold extraction, but any displeasure was ameliorated by bribes from the outsiders. It wasn't until the problem spread, and it was discovered that these companies were killing kiepheloi that Orochthan anger truly began to mount.
Local governments attempted to impose regulatory oversight but were rebuffed or ignored. Even when the Great Temple to the Athai stepped in as a collective representative of the Orochthan peoples, the outsiders refused to modify their operating procedures. All the while, discontentment grew, culminating in sporadic attacks against mining sites and outsider mining towns. As casualties mounted, both sides of the conflict came together in the hope of coming to an agreement, but further attacks and rising hostilities on both sides caused negotiations to break down.
The first battles of the Wealth Wars were little more than minor skirmishes between untrained militia from nearby villages, and the similarly untrained security forces of the targeted mines. But when a coalition of heavily affected settlements put together a force and wiped out one of the mining sites, the conflict escalated as every interested entity began to deploy trained military units to protect their assets. With attacks continuing, outsider forces decided that it would be necessary to establish an exclusion zone around their sites, bringing even neutral settlements into the conflict.
All out war broke out when the Rowoon kingdom from Rhaddin's Rest decided to assert ownership over a swathe of Orochtha around their site, refusing to acknowledge the Orochthans' rights over the land and the mineral wealth therein, and threatening a number of villages in the region. The kingdom deployed troops to secure their asserted borders, and the Orochthans tried to fight back, but they were outnumbered, had a technological disadvantage, and were untrained compared to the professional armies that were fielded. The result was a total defeat of Orochthan forces, and the de-facto establishment of the Rowoon claim.
The Rowoons' success inspired other outside forces, and time after time, the Orocthans suffered bruising losses. The claims were gradually expanded, driving Orochthans from their ancestral homes. Meanwhile, the outsiders' mining activities only intensified. Just as the Orochthans' cause seemed hopeless, the outsiders' wanton destruction of the realm roused the wrath of the elementals, turning the tide of the war as the Elemental Lords obliterated the enemies with ease.
The elementals made short work of the enemy forces, driving them out of the realm altogether. With their help, the Orochthans healed the wounds in the land caused by the outsiders, but the damage had been done, and the scars remained.
With the foreign threat defeated, Orochtha's leaders gathered at the Great Temple to the Athai. There, they discussed and debated what should happen next. Disagreements were had over details, but were largely minor. All present agreed that such a travesty could not be permitted again. To that end, three policies were instated:
- Unless necessary, trade with other realms is to be avoided, and if necessary, must be conducted through a trusted intermediary.
- A collective, professional military force—which Orochtha had never had prior use for—would be established for the sole purpose of fighting against external threats.
- Even should trade be reopened in the future, external forces will not be permitted to establish holdings on Orochtha and must instead contract a local workforce to manage and operate their worksites, subject to impartial oversight.
Furthermore, despite reservations, it was decided that Orochtha should be closed to outsiders entirely until the realm and the people had recovered from the damage of the wars.
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