East Akhidian Civil War
| East Akhidian Civil War | ||||||
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| Belligerents | ||||||
 Edwardians
| Matthians
| Ytrians Mondosphere
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| Commanders and leaders | ||||||
The East Akhidian Civil War is an ongoing political and military conflict within the Cibolan state of East Akhidia that broke out in early 1716 AN. The conflict has its origins in the longstanding power struggle between rival claimants to the Akhidian throne.
Background
Kingship within Akhidia had traditionally been shared between the various members of the fractious House of Ytro, frequently leading to internecine conflict between rival branches. The disappearance of King Edward in 1706 precipitated the near-collapse of Akhidia, which was eventually partitioned into three distinct kingdoms: East, South and West Akhidia. But whereas the latter two eventually achieved some measure of political stability, East Akhidia remained riven by continued political conflict between Edward's daughter and sister on one hand, and King Matthew on the other.
On 5.I.1714 AN, princesses Caryl and Lorena seized control of the capital, Mighi, successfully deposing and imprisoning Matthew. However, the new regime proved unable to stabilise the highly volatile situation in the face of Matthian hostility, domestic discontent and the disapproval of foreign opinion, most notably within the other two Akhidian successor states and their powerful Mondosphere neighbours.
In the midst of all this chaos, Morden Wasser, a Benacian resident of long standing in the region, was appointed by his overseas benefactors as Chief Executive Officer for Akhidia Fried Chicken. Not long after this appointment, which had also occurred in 1714 AN, a comparatively large number of commercial travellers (approximately 120 individuals all told) had arrived in-country on work visas obtained by the company. It seemed a curious time, considering the deteriorating political situation, for the formerly struggling franchise to contemplate a significant expansion, and yet a number of properties and warehouses were purchased in towns and cities along the entire length of the coast.
As unlikely as this trivial detail was, there would have been few at the time willing or able to connect the real estate purchases with the recent uptick of sightings in western Cibolan waters of salvage vessels. These sightings had increased markedly in 1715 AN following the collapse of central authority in Valora.
Escape of Matthew and outbreak of violence
The Edwardian cause suffered a severe blow when, in early 1716 AN, Matthew escaped from the captivity into which he had been consigned in a desperate effort to ensure the good behaviour of his adherents. Rallying support in his birthplace, the northeastern city of Rtoa, Matthew announced to the country that his earlier abdication had been secured under duress and called for the immediate arrest of Caryl and Lorena upon charges of treason. Within hours of his public call to arms, open fighting had broken out within the capital and other cities, as the rival power blocs gathered for a final showdown.
Moderates appeal to Mondo; Şahan enters the fray
As the country spiralled into renewed conflict, a loose alliance of moderate political leaders began to coalesce on the margins of the struggle. Frustrated with the behaviour of the rival factions, the moderates appealed directly to Mondo Etzeterra, as guarantor of the 1707 settlement, to restore order and remove both sets of claimants. Although sympathetic to their plight and increasingly annoyed by the "constant low-grade bickering" of the Edwardians and Matthians, Mondo was nonetheless reluctant to depose Lorena and Matthew: the dispute between them was an internal matter, and a foreign-led regime change would be contrary to the Ermingander Accords and possibly jeopardise the stability of South Akhidia and Finchidia.
The appeal did however find a considerably more sympathetic ear in the person of the young Şahan. The son of Ytro I had just turned eighteen and was expected to assume full leadership of South Akhidia; however the impassioned pleas on behalf of the suffering people of his ancestral homeland proved too much for the spirited young man to ignore. To the surprise and horror of his foster-parents, Şahan announced his intention to renounce the kingship of South Akhidia and travel east to reclaim his father's throne. When Mondo questioned why he would so readily exchange the guaranteed rule of a stable and prosperous realm for the uncertainties of war-torn East Akhidia, the young man replied simply that it was his birthright:
"South Akhidia was the creation of you and my mother; she has ruled here for ten years and it is right and proper for her to continue to do so. Meanwhile, the people of my first father's kingdom suffer. Do I deserve to rule if I will not heed their plight? I am a man now, Father...and if I am to ascend a throne, then it will be the throne of my ancestors that I have earned through valour, rather than another I have been handed as a child."
Moved by the young man's passion, Mondo agreed to support his decision, and packed him a special cake for his journey east.
The presence of distinctive armoured half-tracks on the streets of Rtoa, parked at key intersections and outside the central administration building in the city since shortly before the reappearance of King Matthew, was also quickly noted by outside observers as being a curious detail.
Shifting balance
Following the signing of the Treaty of Fort Ermingander on 20.VII.1716 AN, emissaries of the Benacian Union made known to Mondo the existence of a small force of mercenaries, formerly in the service of the Honourable Company, whose services had been engaged by third parties to revive the cause of Matthew I. This support had been broadbased, being financial, technical and even kinetic, to the point of having been instrumental in Matthew's earlier escape from captivity during 1714 AN. Since favourable relations with Mondo had been now all but guaranteed, there was no longer any reason for Cibola Command to tolerate a private enterprise engaging in a venture to prop-up a petty Cibolan king. Accordingly Matthew, and the whole party of individuals assembled in support of his cause, were burned, their finances withdrawn, their credentials scrubbed, and their whereabouts revealed to such relevant authorities as might be interested in their immediate demise.
