Difference between revisions of "Transitional Era of the Amarr Empire"

From EVE RP Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
(Created page with "Category:Amarr {| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="clear:both;width:250px; border:3px #303030 solid;" align="right" |- | colspan="2" style="background:#303030; text-...")
 
m (Protected "Transitional Era of the Amarr Empire" ([Edit=Allow only administrators] (indefinite) [Move=Allow only administrators] (indefinite)))
 
(No difference)

Latest revision as of 18:14, 2 March 2016

Amarr Empire (transparent).png
8000 AD - 20536 AD Pre-Space Flight Era
20536 AD - 23180 AD Unchallenged Era
23180 AD - YC105 Transitional Era
YC105 - Present Modern Era

The Transitional Era of the Amarr Empire begins with the time when the Empire first encountered another nation capable of standing against them. It started when the Empire came into contact with the Gallente Federation in 23180 AD until the rise of the capsuleer in YC105.[1] The time was one of challenge and decline for the Empire, as it suffered from a massive rebellion and a crushing military defeat.


Meeting the Other Empires

Gallente Contact

The Amarr stumbled across the Gallente in 23180 AD. First contact was established between two scouting ships. The Empire's scout was completely surprised to stumble across a space faring vessel and took a cautious posture. The Gallente ship attempted communication, but the Amarr ship rebuffed all attempts. The language barrier between the two sides was vast, preventing any true diplomacy.

Not knowing the combat capabilities of the foreign vessel, the Amarr ship eventually called back for reinforcements and opened a cynosural field. The Amarr jumped in a dreadnought. The Gallente, faced with the sudden appearance of a new ship utilizing technology unknown to them broke off and retreated, using its own warp drive, a technology beyond the Amarr.

Faced with an entity of unknown strength with at least some technological superiority to them, the Amarr immediately put out the call to its ships to take a diplomatic approach to further contact. The Empire sent out its best orators and linguists to open contact with the Gallente. It took several years before the two sides were able to truly engage in full discussions, but both sides quickly realized the other held views they considered abhorrent.


Caldari Contact

Shortly after establishing open communication with the Gallente, the Amarr encountered the Caldari. Thanks to the experience of meeting the Gallente, first contact with the Caldari went much more smoothly. The Caldari heard rumors from Gallente sources that another interstellar civilization had been encountered. Prior to this, the Gallente and Caldari had only encountered smaller, planet-bound civilizations who were technologically deficient.

The Caldari initiated contact with the Amarr, hoping to discover if this new civilization was a new foe or a potential ally against the Gallente. Initial meetings began in 23187 AD, when a Caldari cruiser entered Amarr space broadcasting messages of peace in the Amarr language. The Amarr were stunned at the sudden appearance of yet another advanced culture and took a guarded stance.

Things were originally somewhat rocky between the two sides. The Caldari could not appreciate what they often considered the ostentatious displays of Amarr religion and the gold-plated hulls of Imperial warships. The Empire, meanwhile, found the Caldari cold, stoic, and faithless. Within a few months, the Caldari pulled out of negotiations with the Empire, having made neither friend nor foe.


Jove Contact

Though the Jove had been in contact with the State and Federation for several decades prior, it was not until 23191 AD that they made themselves known to the Amarr. Unlike with either the Caldari or the Gallente, this contact was very limited. When Amarr scouts neared Jove borders, the Jove simply announced their existence to the Amarr, but did nothing to attempt to engage them diplomatically.

The Amarr were intrigued by the seeming inaction of the Jove. Their scouts reported only scattered settlements and populations, with little in the way of a navy or other armed forces. Compared to the massive Federation and war-forged Caldari, the Jove appeared to be weak. Additionally, the Amarr learned the Jove had cut off contact with the Federation several decades prior and only maintained weak relations with the Caldari.

Though the Jove appeared ripe for the conquest, the presence of two potential enemies in the Federation and State forced the Empire to move slowly forward.


Gallente-Amarr Free Trade Agreement

Though the Amarr found the Gallente to be little more than base heathens engaged in hedonistic lifestyles, and the Gallente considered the Empire to be a corrupt, oppressive tyranny eager to stamp out other cultures, neither side was willing to be openly antagonistic. The more the Amarr learned about the Gallente, the more they came to fear them. The Federation was large, more than a technological match for the Empire, and had been hardened by war for several decades.

The Empire, meanwhile, had not fought a major war in nearly a hundred years. Their military was geared much more toward crushing undermanned and underequipped Minmatar rebels. While many in the Imperial high command wanted nothing more than to invade the Federation, more cautious heads prevailed. The Empire decided to wait for a more opportune moment to strike at the Federation, hoping perhaps that its war with the Caldari would eventually leave both sides drained enough to be cowed.

The Federation, meanwhile, was occupied with its war against the Caldari. Even the most hawkish of the Gallente knew that they could not fight a war on two fronts.

The two sides thus reluctantly began negotiating treaties with each other. The first and most important of these was the Gallente-Amarr Free Trade Agreement. Signed in 23210 AD[2], the agreement laid out the basis for limited trade between the two empires. Despite its name, the agreement placed numerous limitations on imports and exports by both sides. The Amarr notably agreed to refrain from selling goods produced via slave labor within Federation borders, while the Gallente promised to only deal with a number of authorized Holders and agents of the Empire instead of selling directly to commoners. Additional limits, such as the Amarr refusing to import genetically modified organisms or other items deemed “heretical”, served to curtail major trade between the two sides.

Regardless of the negotiated restrictions, the agreement did serve as the foundation for a shaky peace between the two sides. It established a neutral border between the two sides which ships were allowed to enter unrestricted. While the two empires have never been friendly, they have also never entered into open warfare. With the first treaty signed, the Gallente appointed an official ambassador to the Empire, Yanou Lautere. The Empire sent several dignitaries of its own to the Federation, including a sizable missionary group to attempt a peaceful reclaiming.


Amarr-Jove War

With a tenuous peace established with the Gallente Federation, the Amarr were confident they could launch another wave of the Reclaiming. For what would be neither the first nor the last time, the Amarr considered invading the Caldari State. However, prevailing sentiment among the Amarr leadership was that the State's war with the Federation was the main impediment to the Gallente attacking the Empire. While Navy leadership was confident it could fend off the Federation, it knew doing so would incur heavy Imperial losses.

Instead, the Empire turned its sights on the Jove. In the decades since the Jove had first contacted the Amarr, they had done little to change the perception they were weak and powerless. Amarr spies had only been able to uncover lightly defended research outposts. The primary knowledge of the Jove fleet was that it had not engaged in any known wars and was much smaller than the Empire's.

Early in 23216 AD, the Empire received intelligence claiming the Jove had aided a fleet of Minmatar rebels in destroying the Imperial warship Impervious, captained by Commodore Faus Akredon. Emperor Heideran VII, who was quite close to Commodore Akredon, agreed to an invasion plan laid forth by Grand Admiral Mekioth Sarum, the Heir of the Sarum Family.

The Amarr immediately began broadcasting its intention to conquer the Jove and declared war, believing that even with advance warning the Jove could do nothing to resist them.


The Battle of Vak'Atioth[3]

The beginning of the invasion of the Jove was to begin in the system of Vak'Atioth. At the outskirts of Jove space, the system was a lightly populated research center. The Imperial Navy sent a single squadron, numbering roughly 200 ships, to open the war. Though the system was not vital to the Jove, the Amarr believed that by swiftly conquering it they would send the Jove into panic and disarray.

Such was not to be the case. The Jove received advance notice of the Empire's plans from Faus Akredon, who had survived the destruction of his ship and had become sympathetic to the Jove and the Minmatar people. The Jove analyzed the plans and quickly determined a counter to the Imperial Navy's tactics.

Agile Jove frigates pinned the larger Amarr battleships in place while a Jovian Mothership was brought onto the field. The mothership, one of the largest ships in New Eden at the time, was fitted with a massive beam weapon that tore a swath through the immobilized Amarr lines. The Amarr, unused to such resistance and believing in their own inevitable superiority, refused to retreat. The Jove routed the fleet over the course of a few hours. The few ships that did eventually disengage and flee found their crews court martialed and sentenced to slavery for their failure.

The battle was a devastating loss to the Amarr. Though the lost squadron was but a fraction of the Imperial Navy's might, the battle proved that the Jove were not to be easily defeated. Amarr battle tactics had to be reconsidered and the fleet regrouped, as the Navy prepared a second invasion.

That invasion was never to come.


Minmatar Rebellion

Beginnings

Soon after the Amarr defeat at the Battle of Vak'Atioth, Minmatar slaves across the Empire rose up in a coordinated rebellion. Backed by small pockets of free Minmatar who had escaped enslavement, sympathetic elements within the Gallente Federation, and a small group of Jove agents[2], the Minmatar rebels were able to make swift gains before the Amarr could effect a successful counter attack.

The massed, synchronized rebellion was something the Empire had never anticipated or prepared for. Thousands of Holders and millions of Amarr settlers were slaughtered in the first few days. Many thought the rebellions were small and localized and stayed put, assuming relief would arrive and crush the revolts. Mass confusion reigned as the Empire attempted to make sense of what was happening. The first day of the rebellion was the single bloodiest day in the history of the Empire, with more Amarr dying than in the whole of the Khanid rebellion.

In the course of a few months, the Amarr were forced out of the Minmatar home systems and several surrounding systems where Minmatar slaves had been transported in high numbers. The Amarr Navy was forced to combat the rebellious slaves deeper in the Amarr home worlds and had to leave the border systems to the rebels. Those Amarr who had managed to hold out eventually abandoned the area under the orders of Emperor Heideran VII, who wished to spare civilian casualties as much as possible.


Jove Peace

Knowing that it could not fight the Jove and the Minmatar at the same time, the Amarr quickly sued for peace with the Jove. The Jove had no intention of pressing the fight with the Amarr and agreed to the treaty without many reservations.


Return of the Order of St. Tetrimon

With the Rebellion putting the Empire in disarray, the Order of St. Tetrimon suddenly reappeared in Imperial space. The cult had long been harbored inside the Khanid Kingdom, but with the Rebellion saw a chance to reintegrate themselves into Imperial society. They entered the Empire and forged an agreement with Emperor Heideran, where they would be allowed free passage as long as they assisted in fighting the rebels. The cult's leadership readily agreed and the uniquely colored hulls of the Order quickly became feared for their ferocity and refusal to give up their quarry.[4]


Foundation of the Ammatar Mandate[5]

As the Amarr fled their poorly defended border territories, the many Minmatar collaborators they had left with them. This left the Amarr with a significant problem. The many conservative Holders in the Empire's core worlds were reluctant to share territory with free Minmatar. Additionally, Amarr of all strata of society held a deep resentment against all Minmatar, not just those who were rebelling. Many of the early collaborator arrivals wound up being killed by angry mobs who had lost property, family, and friends in the rebellion.

While some among the Empire's leadership would have been content to allow the collaborators to fend for themselves, more ingenious thinkers devised a way to utilize them. Several systems near the border of the Minmatar-held territories had been abandoned by the Amarr, though the Rebellion had not quite reached them. The Amarr decided to settle their collaborators in these border systems and task them with defending the space.

The collaborators called the space San Matar, which means (among other things) “true home” in the Minmatar language. They settled the space, taking over the abandoned holdings and slaves on behalf of Amarr Holders, and began to build up a defense fleet. By the time the Rebellion finally reached them, the momentum of the Minmatar had slowed, allowing the entrenched collaborators to successfully resist.

Over time, the collaborators expanded their territory beyond the core constellation of San Matar. The Gallente came to call the collaborators the Ammatar, a portmanteau of Amarr and Matar, which the collaborators eventually adopted as their official name. Since then, San Matar has officially been named the Ammatar Mandate.


Rebellion Cools

By the end of 23216 AD, the Minmatar were in firm control of several regions of space which had been occupied by the Amarr, including their home system of Pator. The Amarr, meanwhile, had successfully subdued the rioting slaves within their core territories. While popular sentiment within both sides was to continue a bloody conflict, leaders realized that this would be disastrous.

The Minmatar leaders understood that they had a lot of work to do to raise themselves from a motley assortment of ex-slaves and hardened rebels into a working society. The Amarr, conversely, had been bloodied by both the Jove and the Minmatar, while still having the dangerous Gallente on their borders. The Federation quickly moved to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Minmatar and sent a cadre of experts to assist them in building a government.

Emperor Heideran decided the best course of action would be to pull back the Empire's forces and regroup. While there was the implication that the Empire would reinvade eventually, the Empire's aggression slowly fell by the wayside and those Holders who had been ejected from Minmatar space were left landless with worthless titles.


Reign of Peace

Caldari Non-Aggression Pact

While numerous skirmishes took place across the border between the Empire and the newly-founded Minmatar Republic, neither side made an attempt at a full scale assault on the other. Most incursions were done by small groups; slavers for the Empire and freedom fighters for the Minmatar. Within a few years, both sides had settled into an unofficial cease fire, though tensions remained high on both sides. Leaders of both nations realized that it would take little to set off another full scale war, one that would inevitably draw the Gallente, and thus the Caldari, into the conflict.

The Amarr had lost numerous slaves to the Rebellion and many Holders were eager to replace their stock. Some advocated attacking the Republic, while others viewed the Caldari as a juicy target. They suggested that the Federation would be indifferent to the Empire's subjugation of the State and viewed the stoic, martial culture of the Caldari as one that would fit in well with the Empire's doctrine.

However, Heideran was wary of engaging a society that had managed to hold off the powerful Federation for nearly a century. Additionally, he feared that if he moved his military to engage the Caldari, the Minmatar would pour across the weakly defended border and wreak havoc on the Empire's core worlds.

Instead, he renewed peace talks with the Caldari. As the Empire had found the Federation meddling in its affairs, it attained common ground with the State. This shared dislike of the Gallente was a springboard for peace talks. While there were initial discussions about a full mutual defense pact, the reluctance of both sides to commit themselves to a second front scuttled those plans.

In 23222 AD, the two nations signed the Caldari-Amarr Declaration of Friendship, a pact that agreed to respect the sovereignty, not interfere in the internal affairs, and share intelligence on the enemies of the other side. Additionally, though the two sides had little in the way of a common border at the time, they demilitarized their mutual borders, allowing each to focus their forces in other places.


Foundation of CONCORD

With peace secured with the Caldari, the Amarr began to turn its eyes back toward the Minmatar. Many in the Empire believed the Imperial Navy had recovered sufficiently to attack the Republic directly. However, fear of war with the Federation forestalled any invasion plans.

Rather surprisingly, in 23227 AD, the Empire was approached by Aidonis Elabon, a highly influential Federation Senator and former ambassador to the Amarr. Elabon and other members of the Federation leadership were eager to end the fighting throughout the cluster. They envisioned an organization that would act as a interstellar mediator, where all five of the major nations in New Eden could come together to air grievances and resolve disputes without resorting to violence.

Emperor Heideran, weary of war after witnessing two spectacular Amarr defeats, agreed to enter negotiations over the objections of the Ardishapur and Sarum Heirs and other powerful Holders. Backing his view were the Tash-Murkon and Kor-Azor Heirs, with the Kador Heir acceding to his revered ancestor's wishes. The Tash-Murkon saw the financial benefits that peace and trade with the other nations could bring, while the Kor-Azor had long been in favor of a less aggressive Empire.

In an initial attempt to assuage the Ardishapur and Sarum families, Emperor Heideran at first agreed to enter negotiations as long as the Minmatar were barred from the proceedings.[6] The Elabon delegation initially agreed, knowing that the Minmatar had already agreed to the organization's foundation in principle and believing he could eventually wear down the Empire into allowing them to join.

Indeed, by 23230 AD, Emperor Heideran relented and allowed the Republic's representatives to join the negotiating table. Segments of the Empire were outraged, believing that by allowing the Minmatar to join in, the Empire was acknowledging them as an independent nation rather than a rebellious Imperial territory. The Emperor ignored their protests, however, and appointed Tash-Murkon and Kor-Azor family members to negotiate the treaty.

Soon after, CONCORD was founded as an international peace keeping body. The first Amarr representative to CONCORD was carefully selected by Emperor Heideran; Litor Thress. A Holder under the aegis of the Sarum Family, he was nevertheless known as an advocate of peace. The Sarum Family was unable to object without insulting itself, giving the Empire a conciliatory voice on the CONCORD Assembly while nominally placating one of the most staunch opposers of the body.


Yoiul Conference

In 23236 AD, the five empires, under the umbrella of CONCORD, met onboard the Jove cruiser Yoiul in an effort to lay the groundwork for further peace. One of the most important decisions to be made was the establishment of a universal time-keeping system that would ease interstellar trade and communication. The Empire initially pushed for the other nations to adopt its calendar, arguing both that the Empire remained the largest nation in New Eden and the Minmatar were familiar with the calendar from their time in slavery.

The Minmatar rejected that notion vehemently, while both the Caldari and Gallente were resistant as well. Eventually, three groups arose in the conference; the 25ers, the Traditionalists, and the Arithmetics.[7] The Empire aligned itself most closely with the Traditionalists, who desired to use an old “common calendar” favored by early post-collapse settlers. The Empire possessed old records, some dating back to before the collapse of the EVE Gate, which recorded significant details of this calendar.

The Traditionalists eventually won out and utilized Amarr assistance in reconstructing the calendar, establishing the year of the conference as YC0.

Heideran's Decline

Soon after the foundation of CONCORD, Emperor Heideran was diagnosed with Turit disease.[8] The condition, which primarily struck older Amarr, had been affecting the Emperor for many years before the true cause of his condition was discovered. The disease, which attacks the nervous system and leads to paralysis which begins in the extremities and slowly spreads toward the vital organs, slowly began to rob the Emperor of his ability to move.

The Heirs believed the Emperor would soon perish and began to plan for the Succession Trials. The Emperor, however, utilized the latest medical technologies inside both the Empire and abroad to maintain his life. Even so, he gradually withdrew from Imperial politics and allowed his newly-appointed Court Chamberlain, Dochuta Karsoth, to rule in his stead.


Creation of Vitoc[9]

Following the Minmatar Rebellion, many Amarr sought new ways to control their slave populations. The most promising method developed was through the application of a viral agent that mutated along a predictable path. If left untreated, the virus would lead to significant pain and eventual death in the subject. It could be temporarily counteracted via the application of a specially tailored drug which also invoked euphoria in the subject. As the virus mutated, older drugs would cease to be effective, keeping those few with knowledge of how the virus mutated firmly in control of their subjects.

The virus came to be known as the Vitoxin, while the drug became known as Vitoc.


Sansha's Nation[10]

Beginnings

In YC5, a Caldari industrial mogul named Sansha Kuvakei began to found small enclaves out in the far reaches of explored space, outside of the reach of the five nations. He preached a popular message and gathered numerous followers to his banner. In time, he reached out to the Amarr Empire for assistance with one of his plans.

Sansha presented himself as wishing to assist the Empire in preventing something like the Minmatar Rebellion from ever occurring again. With Emperor Heideran deep into his Turit-induced malaise, highly conservative elements within the Empire were able to take charge. They provided Kuvakei with numerous Minmatar slaves to experiment on, believing that he would be creating a new method of slave control on their behalf.

Sansha slowly trickled back minimal breakthroughs to the Empire, keeping the most radical and important designs for himself. This was enough to keep the Empire interested and they continued to provide Kuvakei with both funds and slaves.


War on Sansha

By YC37, the Empire had sent a delegation to the Nation which reported back on the truth of his activities to the Ministry of Internal Order.[11] Similar spies from the other nations discovered Sansha's depravities as well and publicized them to the world. The Gallente, Caldari, and Minmatar, horrified by what he had done, called for Sansha to be brought before a CONCORD tribunal and tried for his crimes.

While the Empire initially attempted to defend Kuvakei, they eventually came to understand they would be ostracized if they attempted to stand alone. They joined the others in demanding Sansha surrender himself, but Kuvakei remained defiant.

Once Sansha declared the sovereignty of his Nation and revealed the power of his True Slave fleet, the empires decided they had no choice but to band together to destroy Sansha's Nation. While the Gallente Federation lead the charge in space, the Empire, by virtue of its nearness to Sansha's space, attacked the heavily fortified stations and planets belonging to the Nation. They wreaked havoc across Sansha's territory, particularly within Esoteria, reducing much of the Nation to rubble.[12]


Stagnation

With Emperor Heideran silently suffering from the ravages of Turit Disease, the Empire slowly turned on itself. The various political factions, usually corralled by the Emperor, were free to bicker with each other and prevent any sort of positive progress. This left the Empire vulnerable to problems both internal and external.


Illegal Slavers and Minmatar Terrorists

Slavers, whom had been banned from making slave raids by CONCORD treaty, began to harass the Minmatar. This in turn provoked reprisals from Minmatar freedom fighters, turning the border regions between the two nations into a place of immense danger. Certain segments of the Empire wished to clamp down on this illegal slave taking, but those who wished a return to the Reclaiming of old opposed their moves.


Blood Raiders

Meanwhile, the old Sani Sabik cults began to gather in power in the region now known as the Bleak Lands. While the cults had long been in hiding there, they had never been a significant force. For centuries, a loosely-linked organization of Sani Sabik known as the Blood Raiders had taken to piracy, but had never been more than a nuisance. With the Empire's bureaucracy ground to a halt, they were effectively able to establish a foothold in the Bleak Lands and successfully laid claim to several systems.

In YC84, Omir Sarikusa united the various Blood Raider sects under his leadership and began aggressively raiding Imperial holdings, particularly the slave colonies of numerous Holders. The Holders begged for assistance from the Empire, but aside from nominal Naval fleets, were denied aide. A few Holders attempted to form their own self defense fleets, but an edict issued by Emperor Heideran following Khanid's rebellion forbade them from it.[13]


Girani-Fa Incident[14]

In YC95, both the Empire and the Federation laid claim to the mineral-rich system of Girani-Fa. Both sides wished to exploit its riches. While the system had nominally been claimed by the Empire for decades, it had not been touched by the Amarr. It was only after a Federation surveying team assayed the system and discovered mineral riches that the Empire became interested in it.

The Federation claimed the Empire had effectively abandoned the system, while the Empire countered that it included the system on official maps of the Empire. The two sides attempted to negotiate a settlement, but each was intractable. Eventually, the Empire stepped away from the negotiating table, believing the Federation was no longer acting in good faith.

Both sides appeared poised to go to war, when the Quafe Company stepped in and offered to negotiate with the Empire. The Empire, believing that Quafe had a vested interest in both sides, agreed and a few weeks later came to an agreement was reached that prevented warfare. The system would remain under Amarr sovereignty, while the Gallente would be free to mine it and as long as they sold a portion of the minerals to the Empire at cost.


See Also


References