Resistance in the Benacian Union

Small resistance group, active somewhere in Upper Elwynn. Image taken circa 1715 AN.

Resistance to the totalitarian and Humanist regime established by Benacian Union, founded in 1698 AN and unified in 1703 AN, took many forms in the face of savage official repression.

Background

Defeat in the Second Elwynnese Civil War, and the harsh subjugation of the conquered peoples of Amokolia and Elwynn that followed, did not transform these lands into bastions of willing supporters for Humanism and the Raspur Pact. Braving the power of the Benacian Union Defence Force, the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels, and the Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices, resistance began to grow in the Benacian Union. It was in many respects a continuation or resumption of the last war which shaded over into lawlessness, brigandry, and terrorism; becoming instead a form of warfare that was without rules or regulations.

For Amokolia and Upper Elwynn, resistance began early on, from the moment of defeat in fact. Those contingents which, following the Scouring and the culminating offensive of the Pact forces striking northwards from Alalehzamin and Mishalan, had been unable to reach the evacuation ports and thereby the means of escape to Cimmeria and Raikoth, had been faced with the prospect of capitulation followed either by death or a lifetime of servitude in the Benacian Labour Reserve. Understandably there were many who found this prospect unpalatable. Those who were able to evade capture in the months immediately after the end of the war went to ground, either as individuals who buried their arms and sought to find refuge amongst the civilian population, or else as whole formations up to the regimental level who retired into the wilderness of the northern Benacian interior in the hope of living off the land and continuing to strike back against the conquerors whenever opportunity permitted.

Instances of resistance

Upper Elwynn during the winter of 1696-1697

Following the final collapse of the Self-Defence Forces in the tenth month of 1696, the remnant forces were able to make full use of the poor communications, large forces, and frozen sub-boreal marshes, and fight on during the hunger winter of 1696-1697. The more substantial agglomerations of surviving rebels were able to operate at the regimental level, periodically liberating entire districts of remote rural bailiwicks for weeks at a time. These continued to fight on in spite of the wave of ruthless repression imposed by the Raspur Pact occupation forces (primarily in the form of the conscripted Elwynnese Landstorm) with the Union Defence Force providing rapid response forces sent out to snuff out the flames of rebellion wherever they flared up.

Control of access to food rations was one of the means by which the Union Defence Force enforced the semblance of authority over the newly reconquered territories. Bailiwicks in which partisan attacks and brigandry were reported could face the prospect of food embargoes lasting for a week, a fortnight, or a month, depending upon the UDF bailiwick-commandant's assessment of the severity of the transgression. In especially serious instances of defiance, the withholding of state mandated rations could be supplemented by a total prohibition of food imports into a bailiwick and policing actions by the Elwynnese Landstorm aimed at confiscating foodstuffs from farms and warehouses in the area under interdict. Within a bailiwick subject to such a stoppage, provision would only be made for those citizens who had taken up roles in the service of the UDF, the Honourable Company, or the N&H. It swiftly proved expedient and necessary to remove cooperative citizens from their communities into adjacent fortified cantonments to ensure their safety against the reprisals of their erstwhile neighbours.

The Occupation solidified

Decided on the margins of the Congress of Chryse, the post-war Babkhi-dominated government of Elluenuueq determined that its foremost goal in reconstruction would be the removal or destruction of all industrial plants and equipment that would have any conceivable use in any future rebellion by the Elw or Amokolian peoples. Steel production was immediately outlawed in the former autonomous republics of Amokolia and Upper Elwynn and the Union Defence Force instructed to mobilise local corvée labour to support industrial disarmament. All industrial plants and equipment not destroyed by military action was to be completely dismantled and removed from the capitulated territories, or else destroyed in situ if removal was impossible. A proposal to demolish, through controlled demolitions, the mines of Amokolia and Upper Elwynn was entertained but eventually dismissed. The former rebel territories would instead be resource extraction zones, with refining processes and manufacturing would take place in the autonomous republics which had remained loyal during the conflict. Light industries, without an identifiable dual military purpose, would be permitted in an unconsolidated form at the level of the bailiwick, for the purpose of facilitating reparation payments. Economic enterprises, with preference given to those focused on activities that would facilitate reconstruction and reparation payments, would be permitted by the UDF bailiwick-commandant on a case by case basis.

The bailiwicks of Amokolia and Upper Elwynn faced a double indemnity, not only to cover the repayment to Benacia Command of the costs it had incurred in sustaining the war to reconquer the north, and its subsequent occupation, but also to make reparations to Alalehzamin and the Sovereign Confederation for the destruction of three major urban bailiwicks during the rebel counterstrike on the day of the Scouring. Naturally there would be no funding available for the four northern population centres obliterated during the initial orbital bombardment, nor for the other cities which had been subjected to conventional aerial bombardment during the war. Reconstruction was only funded to the extent that the infrastructure restored would facilitate the payment of reparations, and the cost of the reconstruction work itself would be added to the total reparations bill.

The burden of reparation payments was initially divided equally between each bailiwick, irrespective of size and ability to pay. Eventually exactions were scaled to taking forty-percent of a bailiwick's pre-war economic output.

By 1706 AN, 1,585,525 subjects were classed as protected persons after being assigned to the Labour Reserve in lieu of punishment. The majority of these were adult males of fighting age deported from Amokolia and Upper Elwynn taken to preclude their participation in ongoing resistance efforts.

The liquidation of disloyal elements in society was increasingly spearheaded by the Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices, a civic and religious fraternity of magistrates and executioners, with the typical carnifex-magister being trained and empowered to perform both roles, established under the terms of the Edict for the Restoration of Justice and Order promulgated by the Congress of Chryse in 10.XIII.1698 AN.

Interlude (1703-1708)

The reorganisation and consolidation of Elluenuueq and the Unified Governorates of Benacia into the Benacian Union, combined with the deployment of the newly unified Benacian Union Defence Force into regional garrisons was instrumental in the suppression of the initial resistance. With the occupied north parcelled out into governorates, and the establishment of the Humanist municipal guild governance within the conquered bailiwicks, the population found itself subjected to the hierarchical structure of the Union-State. On account of their rebellion, no subject resident in Amokolia or Upper Elwynn was permitted to leave their bailiwick of residence, and none could travel abroad under any circumstances.

The establishment of Cull Commissions at the bailiwick-level, comprised of a censor, joined by representatives of the bailiff, the official appointed by the Governor of the Governorate with jurisdiction in order to ensure that the bailiwick meets its stipulated manpower and tribute payment quotas, and the president of the municipal corporation, who represents the guilds present in the city. These officials were charged with the referral of disaffected societal elements to the magisters-carnifex for execution or exile to the labour reserve.

Meanwhile surveillance became almost ubiquitous as the Commission for the Panopticon built up its mass-observation infrastructure on a pan-continental scale. The consequence was the creation of a “digital yoke”; which was the Commission encode the biometric data of all subjects, along with any stateless or displaced persons found within the realms, so as to avoid a repetition of the catastrophic data loss that occurred in the wake of the Scouring. All would receive the digital yoke, a data chip and processing unit embedded into the spinal column at the neck and fused into the central nervous system, connecting the digital yoke to the cerebellum of the recorded person. All homes and residential apartments would thereafter, in addition to their BDN terminal and panopticon view screen, receive a remote syncing station, to which the key metadata related to the recorded person's daytime activities would be uploaded. This data would then be interrogated remotely during the night-flights of the Panopticon Department's Reaper Drones and transferred to the Panopticon Nodes of each locale for entry into the data vaults of the bailiwick, available for review at all higher levels of authority.

The “Railway War” of 1708

In the third month of 1708 AN the order was given by the Szodan of Elluenuueq, Adam al-Osman, that all existing railway tracks and infrastructure in the realm of Elluenuueq was to be uprooted, demolished, and sold for scrap. Work parties of the Benacian Labour Reserve, commencing from Ardashirshahr were to radiate outwards from the capital of the realm, along the course of the railways and to erase all trace of their existence.

Such locomotive engines as had survived the civil war were to be broken up for the resale value of their scrapped metals, whilst the carriages and rolling stock were to be burnt under the supervision of the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels. Former railwaymen were to be branded, placed under the discipline of the Guild of Dunporters and sent out into the fields of Alalehzamin to work as auctionable agricultural labourers for the tenant farmers of the bailiwicks there.

The attempted destruction of the railways, focused primarily in the old region of Alalehzamin, occasioned much protest and open speculation within the regime as to the sanity of the Szodan. This doubtful and resent-laden dissent was hardly lessened by the news, promulgated later in the same year of 1708 AN, that rails for cargo transport would be housed in the central partitions of the guarded roads that would be the sole means of lawful travel permitted for meritorious subjects passing over the bounds between the bailiwicks that would henceforth be fenced and guarded.

Faced by widespread resistance, a wave of strikes and industrial actions matching only those seen in the immediate aftermath of the Scouring, and the unmitigated fury of the Chamber of Guilds and Corporations at the self-inflicted disrupted to a vital link in the supply-chains of the Benacian Union, the fate of Adam al-Osman was sealed by the Congress of Chryse which obliged him to depart into exile at Teldrin in 1709 AN.

Chryse and the Daughters of Liberty

The conflict between the Daughters of Liberty, a determined resistance group originating out of the servile workforce indentured to the Guild of the Lotus, and the security forces garrisoned within Chryse intensified in 1720 AN as opposing ideologies clashed within the city. The Daughters of Liberty, driven by their pursuit of societal change and challenging the established order, found themselves at odds with the authorities and the security apparatus tasked with maintaining the status quo.

As the Daughters of Liberty grew in influence and garnered support among the disillusioned subjects of Chryse, particularly amongst those protected persons denied the full range of civic liberties. The activities of the group became increasingly disruptive to the city's operations. The security forces, including formations of the Benacian Union Defence Force such as the Saznan Bivarhins, Kavallerifördelningen "Elwmacht", and the Eastern Fleet's 8th In-Shore Division, were mobilised to contain the resistance movement's activities and safeguard the interests of the city's power structures as local public order troops and the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels appeared unable to respond in an effective and coordinated manner.

The security forces employed various tactics to suppress the Daughters of Liberty. They conducted intensive patrols, established checkpoints, and increased surveillance to identify and apprehend members of the resistance. The Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels, renowned for their discipline and combat skills, was deployed to quell any disturbances and maintain public order. Their mere presence often acted as a deterrent, sending a clear message to the Daughters of Liberty that their actions would not be tolerated.

In response, the Daughters of Liberty adapted their strategies to evade capture and continue their resistance efforts. They utilised their clandestine network of safe houses and underground communication channels to stay one step ahead of the security forces. Their growing expertise in disseminating information and organising covert meetings allowed them to mobilize supporters and maintain a sense of unity among their ranks.

As the conflict escalated, both sides experienced casualties. Skirmishes between the Daughters of Liberty and security forces became more frequent, with each side vying for control over key areas of the city. The resistance fighters, driven by their unwavering determination and fuelled by a desire for a more equitable society, demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of the overwhelming might of the security forces.

The security forces, backed by the Civil Executive of the city, viewed the Daughters of Liberty as a threat to the stability and prosperity of Chryse. They argued that the resistance's disruptive actions disrupted the functioning of the paradise district, resulting in economic losses and tarnishing the city's reputation. Authorities painted the resistance movement as misguided and dangerous, warning meritorious subjects of the potential regression in progress and prosperity if their demands were to be met.

Throughout the conflict, the Daughters of Liberty maintained that their cause was just and their actions necessary. They sought to expose the exploitative practices associated with the Guild of the Lotus and bring attention to the plight of the workers coerced into working at venues on the notorious flower street of the city. The resistance movement's activities sparked widespread public discourse and forced the authorities and subjects to confront the systemic issues plaguing Chryse.

While the outcome of the conflict remains a matter of historical debate, the Daughters of Liberty left a lasting impact on the city's history. Their efforts challenged the entrenched power structures and inspired future generations to question authority and fight for a more equitable society. The conflict between the Daughters of Liberty and the overwhelming might of the Union-State illustrated that, even with the full power of the Panopticon Nexus brought to bear, the Harmonious Society would not be easily or quickly purged of dissent.

Heresy and witchcraft in Elluenuueq

Posed image of a cultist going about her work.

The aftermath of the Scouring, a devastating event that occurred during the Second Elwynnese Civil War, left the rural bailiwicks of Elluenuueq in a state of disarray. The strict policies implemented by the Benacian Union, which included restricting the movement of individuals based on their rank and controlling access to information through the Benacian Data Network, only added to the confusion and frustration experienced by the population. In this atmosphere of uncertainty, a belief in the supernatural, magic, and individuals who possess the ability to wield these forces for good or ill became prevalent.

The catastrophic events of the Scouring shattered the social fabric of Elluenuueq, leaving its rural bailiwicks reeling in the aftermath. The introduction of strict policies by the Benacian Union aimed at maintaining control over the population further exacerbated the sense of disorientation and discontent. These policies, which categorise individuals based on their merit and restrict their movement accordingly, have created a clear distinction between those with relative freedom and those classified as protected persons, who have limited rights and freedoms.

In the wake of the Scouring and the subsequent period of uncertainty, many individuals in Elluenuueq turned to the supernatural for answers and solace. The lack of information and limited opportunities for personal growth have created an environment conducive to the proliferation of beliefs in witchcraft, magic, and individuals who claimed to possess these powers. The concept of humans wielding supernatural abilities, capable of harnessing forces beyond the realm of ordinary understanding, became deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness of the benighted backwoods bailiwicks where the practices took root.

Within the context of the belief in witchcraft, certain individuals emerged as practitioners of magic, professing to wield their abilities for various purposes. These practitioners were viewed as being capable of using their powers for good or harm. Their roles and functions within the communities of Elluenuueq varied, with some individuals being sought after for healing, protection, or guidance, while others were feared and considered agents of chaos and destruction.

The prevalence of belief in witchcraft and magic in Elluenuueq had both positive and negative consequences. On one hand, it provided a sense of empowerment and hope for individuals who feel marginalised and disillusioned by the strict societal hierarchies imposed by the Benacian Union. Belief in magic offered a source of agency and control in a world where personal freedoms were restricted. On the other hand, this belief system perpetuated superstitions and engendered fear and suspicion among community members.

The rise of witchcraft in Elluenuueq posed a significant concern for the High Presidium of the Benacian Union. This alternative belief system, which gained popularity outside the mainstream Church of Elwynn, which was controlled by the United Ecclesiastical Corporation of Benacia, was seen as a potential threat to the Coordinated State and the Harmonious Society. As a result, the Szodan of Elluenuueq and the Civil Executive of the Realm faced mounting pressure from the higher institutions of the Union-State to suppress witchcraft as both a religious and social phenomenon.

In response to the perceived threat of witchcraft, the Szodan of Elluenuueq and the Civil Executive of the Realm faced increasing pressure from the higher institutions of the Benacian Union to suppress and control the practice of witchcraft. The High Presidium, representing the highest governing body of the Union-State, sought to maintain the dominance of the Church of Elwynn and the authority of the United Ecclesiastical Corporation of Benacia. This included exerting influence over the local government and administrative bodies in Elluenuueq, urging them to take action against witchcraft as a religious and social phenomenon.

To suppress witchcraft, the Szodan and the Civil Executive were expected to implement measures aimed at discouraging its practice and promoting the dominance of the mainstream Church of Elwynn. These efforts included monitoring and surveillance of communities suspected of engaging in witchcraft, as well as promoting the teachings and authority of the United Ecclesiastical Corporation of Benacia through education and propaganda campaigns. Additionally, the Szodan and Civil Executive were encouraged to collaborate with the Church and its clergy to identify and counteract the influence of witchcraft within Elluenuueq.

The suppression of witchcraft in Elluenuueq was not without challenges and controversies. The alternative belief system had gained significant traction among the rural population, providing a sense of empowerment and community for individuals who felt marginalised or disenchanted with the existing order manifested through the Harmonious Society. The efforts to suppress witchcraft often faced resistance from communities that viewed it as a legitimate expression of their faith and identity. This created tensions between the local government, the Church, and the Union-State.

1722 Merensk football riots

Protests in Merensk began in the thirteenth month of 1722 AN shortly after news of the Unified Governorates national football teams shameful six-one defeat at the hands of Calbion. Barricades were put up in the restive and impoverished urban bailiwick of Trenchtown and forces of the prefectural government temporarily lost control of the streets, leading to three nights of rioting and looting during which the turnpike bastions were closed to traffic and the entire bailiwick was placed into lockdown.

These protests further escalated following the humiliating failure of the national team to qualify past the group stages in the 2023 FMF Mercury World Cup, following an underwhelming one-nil defeat at the hands of the Florians. As sporting excellence had long been touted by the UGB and Benacian Union as one of the proofs of the supremacy of the coordinated state and harmonious society, these explicit and high profile failures, which had been difficult to censor owing to the prominence again accorded to football as a permissible outlet for popular passions, provided a focal point for public outrage and long simmering discontent towards the regime.

Rumours soon began to swirl, in spite of the best efforts of the Benacian Censorate and the Commission for the Panopticon that the UGB's national team had broken up into mutually recriminatory factions, that former head coach Uri Segler had attempted to defect to Mercury and that team captain Harold Forester had been defenestrated from his hotel window by furious team mates.

Counterinsurgency forces of the Union-State

From the end of the Second Elwynnese Civil War up until the Day of Rage in 1731 AN, it has been arguable that the majority of the vast resources of the Union-State have been focused not upon external foes but rather upon quelling the last defiant embers of resistance to the coordinated state and harmonious society mandated under the Humanist system. Several powerful security agencies, supported by the BUDF and local militias, have been in the vanguard of suppression effort.

The Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices

The Worshipful Guild of the Sacred Carnifices, also known as the Magisters-Carnifex, has had a profound and far-reaching impact on the Benacian Union since its establishment in 1698 AN. This powerful civic and religious fraternity of magistrates and executioners serves as the inquisition and secret police force of the Union-State, operating under the authority of the Lord High Censor appointed by the Congress of Chryse.

One of the primary roles of the Magisters-Carnifex is to ensure obedience to the Union Covenant and the principles of Humanism throughout the Benacian Union. They achieve this through a campaign of fear and brutal repression against any perceived dissent, heresy, or deviation from the established order.

Every bailiwick or subdivision within the Union is assigned a tribune of the Worshipful Guild, whose authority within their jurisdiction is absolute. These tribunes, along with their legatine and magisterial superiors, are empowered to punish any individual deemed to have transgressed, using whatever means they deem appropriate, including torture and execution.

The Register of Woe chronicles some of the more notable executions carried out by the Magisters-Carnifex, showcasing the gruesome and sadistic punishments meted out to those who have fallen afoul of the authorities. From being mauled by bears and impaled, to drowning, disembowelment, and burning alive, the Register serves as a grim reminder of the Magisters' capacity for cruelty and their unwavering commitment to maintaining control.

Beyond merely instilling fear, the Magisters-Carnifex have played a crucial role in actively suppressing dissent and resistance within the Benacian Union. They were instrumental in enforcing the 1699 Edict of Dissolution in the bailiwicks of Elwynn, a directive aimed at eradicating the remnants of the liberal rebellion that had precipitated the Second Elwynnese Civil War.

Moreover, the Magisters-Carnifex were responsible for carrying out the 1699 Edict of Correction against the Church of Elwynn, a religious organisation deemed disloyal and therefore heretical by the authorities. This campaign involved purging any individuals suspected of corruption, decadence, heresy, subversion, or treason from positions of power within the Church, further solidifying the Magisters' role as the enforcers of ideological conformity.

Ultimately, the Magisters-Carnifex serve as the guardians of the "Harmonious Society" envisioned by the victors of the Second Elwynnese Civil War. Their presence in every bailiwick and their absolute authority over the populace ensure that the principles of Humanism and the ideological dictates of the ruling elite are upheld without question or deviation.

See also

• Register of Recusancy in the Benacian Union