Mauvasia
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| Flag of Mauvasia | |
| Motto: "How do you mean?" | |
| Mauvasia.jpg | |
| Region | Haven |
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| Capital | Darmetz (pop. 275,543) |
| Official Language(s) | Mauvasian 95%, English 23% (due to bilingualism) |
| Leader | President Aruthan Jacobi |
| Population | about 892,000,000 (2000 census) |
| Currency | dehavia (22.14 dv = $1) |
| NS Sunset XML | |
The Imperial Republic of Mauvasia was founded in 1435 when the French explorer, Joaquin de St.-Maleaux, arrived on the shore of a vast, as yet undiscovered region to become known as Karakataka. St.-Maleaux found a flourishing native civilization that may have existed since at least 750 BCE. However, the hostile native armies and rugged terrain prompted him to dub the land "le pays mauvais", meaning "the bad country." The name stuck. After St.-Maleaux left to gather provisions, the 5,000 settlers he had left behind named the country Mauvasia.
For many years, Mauvasia remained under French rule. But in the 1550s, a colonist named Aridan Navartha set out to change that. He incited rebellion in all of Mauvasia's major cities, especially Dûriandor, which is still the largest city in Mauvasia with 33 million inhabitants. Mauvasians wanted democracy and liberation from the rule of the French kings. A long and bloody revolution began. The revolutionaries would take a city, only to be driven out by the royalist army. Finally, during the succession crises of the 1570s in France, King Henry IV of France agreed to allow Mauvasia its independence. Mauvasians celebrated their newfound independence, but it did not last long. Just a few years later, in 1593, the army of a rival nation, Catalasia, conquered Mauvasia. Catalasia was an aristocracy, ruled by an elite class of nobles, who appointed a king to rule in each of their provinces and a High King who governed them all. Mauvasia had dropped its guard and had been conquered in the struggle for power among the various other nations in Karakataka.
During the 1600's Mauvasia briefly fell under the rule of Jeffie, a more democratic and open society, but was conquered back after just five years. The Catalasian-Jeffie War erupted, and Mauvasians were used as pawns for both sides in terrible battles. In 1670, after ten years of fighting, the two nations signed a peace treaty. Catalasia had to cede a long strip of land along the coast to Jeffie, including parts of the former Mauvasia. But after Jeffie claimed this land, Catalasia tried to occupy it once more. Hostilities led to the creation of a strong army in the region later known as Steel and Fire.
Mauvasia might have been pretty well off, in fact. Various rulers allowed them civil rights and political freedoms--everything, in fact, except independence. At one point Dûriandor was the most important trading post in Karakataka. While other nations entered the region, Mauvasia prospered as a semi-autonomous kingdom. That is, until the ascension of Raymen XXI. Raymen XXI was the son of a long line of kings that had ruled in Mauvasia under the High King. But he was not kind as his predecessors had been. In 1855, he came to power and began raising taxes, outlawing political freedoms, and started campaigns of ethnic cleansing against native Mauvasians. In 1861 he murdered the High King of Catalasia and rose to that rank himself.
Something snapped in the Mauvasian conscience in 1862 with the execution of Dimitr Morkovski, a dissenter against Raymen's government who was executed by firing squad. As the dozen guards turned to go, Mauvasian protestors began throwing rocks at them, killing six and injuring the other six as well. This incident sparked what is known as the Second Mauvasian Revolution. The SMR was a conflict between rival sides: on one side, the pro-democracy pro-independence Mauvasian Liberationist Army; on the other, the royalist national army of Catalasia—the Army of Sovereign Independent Catalasia. The MLA, under the leadership of 25-year-old Nikolaus Viedrich, was smaller but determined in its cause. Establishing as its base the city of Cilàn, outside of what is now known as Darmetz, Viedrich mustered nearly 1 million soldiers. Over two years they battled the 4-million-man ASIC, attempting to capture all of the Mohavian plateau in order to have an advantage over the ASIC, based in the valley of the great River Dûr. But in 1864 a force of 150,000 ASIC troops, led by General Ignace Ayassi, capturred Cilàn and executed or imprisoned 10,000 MLA members. The remainder fled to a temporary base in Darmetz, which was advantegeous due to its position on a hill. With the war cry "On to Cilàn!" hundreds of thousands of Mauvasians marched on Cilàn, trapping the ASIC troops inside the town. Over six days in 1865 the MLA marched victorious into Cilàn, singing the national anthem of Mauvasia. Many were killed, but more kept coming. Finally, on January 14, 1865, the Catalasians surrendered to Nikolaus Viedrich's forces. Mauvasia was at last independent.
There followed what might be known as the "Mauvasian Age". Patriots such as Nikolaus Viedrich, Adrion Delatoire, and Argon Deshakht helped draft a constitution that ensured civil rights for all and universal adult suffrage. Later, Viedrich was elected Mauvasia's first president and led the country on to reform. During the 20th century Mauvasia seemed to have everything: a booming economy, free and democratic elections, a good environment, and contented citizens. Mauvasia joined alliances as diverse as the Karakatakan Alliance, the Orcan Alliance, the NGA (New Grand Alliance), and the M.E.W.A. (Mauvasia-Eljabar-Whippleton Alliance). And then—something happened.
The trouble started with the rise of a Temurian dictator in Karakataka. No one knows this dictator's real name, but he called himself Thane Darlash, or Darlash the Whip. Darlash and six other national leaders formed an alliance—the Fifth Alliance—which eventually swelled to 41 nations in three regions. With this Alliance, Darlash intended to take over Karakataka and turn every nation in that region into one of his colonies. In 2003, he set out to do just that. Without a declaration of war, the dastardly dictator's forces swept through nation after nation, leaving a trail of blood in their path. Fortunately, this vile plot was halted by the brave L.A.W. (League Against Whip), a sixty-nation alliance that eventually managed to beat back the Fifth Alliance at the Battle of Wilderness in L.A.W. leader Medeveria. But Darlash had inspired other nations. Soon the Unspeakably Evil Empire of Vrikstok, ruled by Emperor Varna III Rzanski, was preparing for war with Karakataka. With secret airstrikes and nighttime raids, the Fifth Alliance made headway in Karakataka during a period of so-called "civil unrest", in which an average of 1,000 people died regionwide per day. However, it was Captain Tacusta "Firetail" Whitewasch of the Deathmakers Army was really the downfall of Mauvasia.
Captain Firetail led a brigade of 15,000 soldiers, trained fighters from Deathmakers. In bands of about 20, his brigade could move quietly through the countryside—gather its forces—strike—and keep moving. Stealth was an enormous factor in Firetail's victories in cities such as Orsath, Vina, and Darmetz. The government retreated into Dûriandor. Deathmakers took advantage of the evacuation of Darmetz to pass a motion in the Fifth Alliance-controlled Grand Council banning Mauvasia from Karakataka. Mauvasia and 10 other nations from Karakataka regrouped in New Karakataka while four Fifth Alliance nations split Karakataka between them: Vrikstok, Deathmakers, Temuria, and Szang the Pitiless One. Mauvasia, in the meanwhile, regrouped the countries into a new alliance, the LADS (League Against the Dark Side), which is currently beginning a long preparation for war with the Fifth Alliance countries.
